Sonic The Hedgehog: A Hero, Husband and Father
by Ksonic
Summary: As an old hero, friend, husband,and father of seven, you could say Sonic's life was constantly busy. But that never meant his life wasn't enjoyable. What with 100 piece puzzles, first runs with young Dash, exploding kitchens, who could possibly be bored?
1. Puzzle Pieces

So a random idea suddenly popped into my head, after reading a bunch of drabbles. I realized that I wanted to do some drabbles myself! So, alas, here's my new story, completely made up of drabbles! The genre's will be family/romance/humor, most likely. And, for this cute little drabble, it's definitively a family. Anyway, enjoy, and onwards, march!

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Chapter One

Puzzle Pieces

She had always loved puzzles.

It was one of the things that forced her to realize that she really was not a part of this family. That she was adopted. Her mother would rather cook and play tag with Dash then help her with the 100 piece puzzle. Her siblings, even Violet, couldn't sit still long enough to get more than two pieces in. And her father always found more important things to do.

Sighing, she fit a piece into the puzzle that showed a whale jumping into the air. At least her parents knew she liked puzzles and bought them for her. That was nice, at least. Who ever said a puzzle had to be done with someone else?

She was sprawled out on the living room floor, vaguely aware of her brother Nick and sister Violet as they laughed to SpongeBob Squarepants a few feet away from her.

Sneezing, the young girl wiped her running nose. Oh, how she hated colds. This one seemed to be one of the worst she'd experienced in a long time; hence, the reason she'd stayed home from preschool and done a puzzle. Her eyes began to water, not because she was depressed, but because the lights were too bright, like usual, and she sneezed again. Growling softly to herself, she just about decided to get up a blow her nose, when suddenly her father was sitting down next to her, a box of tissues in his hand. He winked at her and smirked as she took a tissue shyly, and blew her stuffy nose. Once done, she set the tissue down next to her, feeling too lazy to go throw it away, and turned back to the puzzle.

"Thanks, Daddy," she murmured, still a little embarrassed. Her father lay down on the floor next to her and picked up a random puzzle piece, gazing at it in the light.

"Hey, honey," he started, and she looked at him. "I think I found the whale's fin." The young child smiled innocently up at him and took the piece from his gloved hand, and put it in its place. Sonic smiled innocently back. He would never get tired of her smile, he realized. It was so rare these days, what with her cold and her attitude in general. But somehow, he always managed to find a way to make her smile. Amy often asked how he managed to do it. The blue hedgehog would only shrug, not knowing the answer himself. Maybe it went deep into the beginning of the girl's childhood. No one knew.

Ruffling the child's spines, the blue hedgehog picked up another piece.

He mise as well get comfortable now, he figured. He couldn't bear to see his daughter look distraught if he happened to get up and leave.


	2. Wind

List: GodsSonicGirl, IHeartSonAmy, Shizuku Tsukishima749, and Lupus Silvae!

Whoo! So far, this story's up to a good start! *Does a little dance*. I never would've expected this to become a story a month ago…Amazing how life changes 'round here. Anywho, thanks so much for your kind reviews! As usual they all mean something to me! Now, enough chit-chat. Onwards, march!

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Chapter two

Wind

They were in the middle of nowhere.

But nothing had ever seemed so beautiful to the young boy that rode on his father's back. Green eyes shone brighter than the sun as his father rushed past the prairies with incredible speed. The wind was blowing harshly at the boy's spines, and they swayed violently in the wind, but even though it might've hurt someone else, it only made the boy giggle. He somehow felt made to run like this; as if he was like his father and could run at the speed of sound, no problem, no questions asked. For a two year old, his thoughts seemed like poetry as he observed how the wind made room for his father's speed as they zoomed past miles and miles of landscape with hardly even a glance.

His father suddenly turned mid-stride, and the boy let out a squeal as his father avoided hitting a tree. Looking down, the boy was quickly memorized by the rhythm of his father's feet.

_Left foot down, left foot up, right foot down, right foot up. _The speed was remarkable. If the beat of the blue hedgehog's feet was to be measured by a metronome, the tiny machine would crash into a wall after trying and failing to find the beat, and only after two seconds.

Of course, the two year old didn't think that. His brain was still developing for him to be able to figure out such talk. But for a two year old, a run was something that would definitely help his writing skills in the time to come. The word "pretty", in a cute, toddler voice, was all a toddler was to be expected to say of the wind's picture . But somehow, the small blue hedgehog knew the mere word "pretty" was not what the wind looked like. Any other toddler would've argued that "pretty" was indeed the right word; the only word. But Dash knew better.

"Having fun, sport?" The little boy nodded enthusiastically against his father's back, and the older hedgehog grinned. He practically lived for his children's happiness these days, so obviously this run with his first born son was special.

On the day young Dash was born, exactly two years ago, Sonic knew the boy would grow up being a speedster, like him. He didn't even question the idea that his son could end up being as slow as a normal person, that he could turn out going only as fast as Amy could. It just didn't seem possible, when the baby looked so much like Sonic, acted so much like Sonic, and learned how to crawl , walk, and jog similarly to how Sonic had learned.

There had been no questions asked when Sonic announced the baby's name was Dash. Not even Amy, who wanted the baby to be named Samuel, argued. She seemed to understand it had suited the boy too.

Sonic knew instantly that he wanted to be alone with his boy on their first run together, and he also knew he wanted it to be at a young age. He wanted it immediately. But, somehow, Amy had convinced him that young Dash shouldn't go on a run until he was at least two years old. She said it was for the young boy's safety that he didn't go with his father until he was two years of age, and because he would appreciate the run more so when he was older, and he could understand _why_ the wind was pretty, _why_ the landscape was remarkable, _why_ the movement of Sonic's legs was incredible. And Sonic had to admit, like he often did, that Amy was right.

Coming to a sudden halt, the blue hedgehog worked the small boy off his back and gently set him down on the cliff that he stood on. The miniature Sonic blinked, awed at the sheer beauty that he had seen in only thirty minutes. Looking up at his father, he asked, in his adorable toddler way,

"Daddy? Will I ever wun wike that?" Sonic chuckled and took the boy's hand, and looked back to the landscape set before them like a beautiful painting.

"'Corse, sport," he replied nonchalantly. A sparkle was in his forest green eyes.

"Vell, when?" the young boy asked impatiently. He kicked a small pebble off the face of the cliff, and the blue hedgehog smiled gently as he leaned down and looked at his son with admiration and pride.

"Soon," he answered. "You are my son, after all."


	3. Lifting Up

List: Lupus Silvae, Zeldaskeeper, Silverdawn2010, IHeartSonAmy, Koollolly, Rugtugba, and Shizuku Tsukishima749!

Aww yeah! I have a grand feelin' 'bout this story! Whoo! Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone. They all mean a lot to me. Oh, and by the way, I am still working on Forever Love; just kinda at a road block (and for the last chapter too! ahg!) Anyway, let's get on with the story. Onwards, march!

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Chapter three

Lift Up

He was exhausted.

Which was really saying something. Because Sonic was _never_ tired. Unless of course he and Amy couldn't get any sleep because of the screaming kids late at night. Or unless he'd just caught some criminal for the slow police. Or, very rarely, if he'd just had a long day at work.

Today's tiredness seemed to have come from none other than work. Having been a boring day with few costumers for Tails' repair shop, the blue hedgehog had stayed inside, away from the rolling hills and wind practically all day. And nothing makes a person more tired then when you do absolutely nothing for twenty-four hours.

Usually a good long run would clear the hedgehog's mind enough by the time he got home. But for some reason, it didn't seem to be working today, and this only made matters worse for the depressed hedgehog. Hadn't he wanted to run all day today? Hadn't that been the cause of his depression: seeing the butterflies flutter around the fields without him messing up their flight?

But for some reason there seemed to be something deeper to his sadness, and when he opened the door to his home, the children's loud welcome hardly raised his spirits.

"Wanna run, Daddy?" Dash asked, like he did almost every day after work. He wasn't expecting his father to flat out shake his head. This wasn't like his usual crazy, loud, fun, father. Puzzled, the young boy sighed sadly and walked off, hoping for his father to change his mind soon as he headed off to play with Flash.

"Dad, guess what I did today?" Violet asked happily as she jumped up and down around the blue hedgehog. Sonic hardly heard her answer as he shrugged off his shoes and yawned, despite himself.

"Hey, Dad?" This time it was Kyler's voice, and Sonic felt like groaning, but he bit his tongue. "Could ya help me with my math homework?"

"In a minute sweetie," was all the hedgehog could say before he crashed onto the nearby couch, vaguely aware of Dash and Flash playing with blocks on the floor as they watched some PBS show.

Suddenly warm arms were around the hedgehog from behind, and he sighed, quickly realizing whose arms were around him.

"Long day, hon?"

"Gotta hate 'em," he replied wearily, rubbing his forehead. "I hate this. I wanna be able to be with the kids, interact with 'em…ya know, the usual. But I just can't-"

"I love you, you know," she interrupted, kissing his head lightly before focusing her gaze on the TV program. "Everything's under control here. Kyler understands-her being such a smarty- so I'll be helping her with her math tonight. Violet's too young to notice your lack of enthusiasm, so you're off the hook for now. And Dash's not supposed to run today anyway."

"Why not?" Sonic asked, and he turned to Amy with a puzzled look.

"Well, he did run in the house today and knock over a lamp. Ended up cracking it. He wasn't supposed to ask for your mercy." The blue hedgehog smiled in spite of himself.

"You're a good mom, you know that?" Sonic questioned, closing his eyes as she scratched behind his ears lovingly.

"Yes," she replied, not sounding at all surprised, making Sonic smirk slightly.

"And you're a good wife too." There was a short pause, in which all the two could hear was the talking dragon on the TV and Flash clapping happily to himself.

"Yes," Amy replied, sounding pleased with herself. "Thanks."

"No. Thank _you_," he replied.


	4. Bedtime Stories

List: Jaydan the Hedgehog, Princess Sage, GodsSonicGirl, Shizuku Tsukishima749, IHeartSonAmy, Leah 'L's' the hedgehog, and Koollolly!

Thanks for the reviews, peepz! I love them all so much, as you know. Anyway, I couldn't wait to get this chapter up, and the next chapter will probably be up pretty quickly after this one…I'm ecstatic about it so… Anyway, enough chit-chat. Onwards, march!

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Chapter four

Bedtime Stories

If there was anything Sonic refused to miss with his family, it was the bedtime process. No, he was not one to enjoy sleeping, like so many others. But bedtime for him and Amy meant personal time with the kids. Five days every week, Sonic was at work from early morning until early evening, and, sometimes it was even later, depending if the police needed their special speedster to capture the latest villain (who usually only lasted about a day). Therefore, Sonic didn't exactly spend every second with his children.

But bedtime called for Sonic to spend time with his kids, as he bathed them (the worst part of the whole process), helped them into their pajamas, and read to the three oldest, Kyler, Violet, and Dash. Meanwhile Amy would put the triplets down and would often come listen to the bedtime story before she and Sonic were alone.

So, tonight was like any other night. The children were bathed and in their warm beds, and Sonic sat down on the hard chair, a small book in his hand. He was about to open up the small book and read about a tiny cat, when Violet interrupted.

"Hey, Daddy?" she questioned. "Could ya mebee make up a story twa-night?"

"Yeah!" Dash cried excitedly, smiling broadly. "Twell the story 'bout you an' Mommy." Kyler nodded enthusiastically from her own bed. Sonic smiled warmly, as he scratched behind his neck, a habit he had never lost, even after falling in love with his wife.

"Umm," he started awkwardly, "sure, I uh, guess I could tell that story." The three kids cheered, and they immediately all sat up, putting more attention to their father's story then usual. This only made the blue hedgehog chuckle nervously, and he leaned back in his chair, trying to get comfortable.

"Well, um, I guess it all began when I met her."

"Well, yeah," Kyler added sarcastically, her eyes shining.

"Was it lwove at first sight?" Violet squealed, hugging her stuffed bear closer to herself.

"Erm, no," Sonic replied. "Not for me, anyway."

"But Mama knew immediately, huh?" Dash quipped.

"O' course she did," Violet replied, frowning at her younger brother.

"Well, she thought it was love at first sight," Sonic interrupted, and the three kids turned back to their father. "But really, it was probably nothing more than a young crush."

"That is not wha' Mommy says," Kyler pointed out. "She says she knew."

"Okay, okay, she knew," Sonic gave in, smiling gently. "She is, after all, always right." The girls giggled.

"Wha' happwened newxt?" Dash asked impatiently. "Did ya kiss her?" Sonic was turning more and more red as the conversation went on, but he tried to keep himself together.

"Not yet," he replied. "I didn't know I loved her until I was older. I was only twelve when I first met her."

"Yeah, you cannot fall in love when you are twelve," Kyler stated matter of factly, and Sonic nodded.

"Yep," he replied.

"Well, when did ya fall in lwove?" Violet huffed, getting impatient. "The next day?" Sonic couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"No, no, no," he answered quickly. "I was nineteen when I really fell in love with your mom."

"That's seven years later, Vi," Kyler told her sister. "Not one day."

"Right, Kyler," Sonic said with a smile. "That's when I kissed her, Dash." The boy brightened.

"Gosh, took ya long 'nough!" Sonic blushed and looked down, smiling.

"Yeah, I know," he whispered. "But just you wait, sport. One day you'll be the same."

"Na," the boy replied, snuggling into his bed. "I will never fall in lwove."

"Why not?" Violet questioned, again frowning.

"'Cause," Dash answered slowly, as he yawned. "Who would wanna _fall_ for someone? Fall-ing hurts."

"Not this fall-ing!" Violet cried, alarmed that her brother didn't know what the term "fall in love" meant. But then again, Sonic figured as he smiled and stood up, none of them knew what it meant. Only he and Amy knew. And right now, that was just fine with him.

"Anyway, kids," he started, as he walked towards the light switch. "It's bedtime."

"But-" the three started simultaneously, and Sonic wagged a finger at the kids.

"Nope, sorry kids," he replied. "Story time's over. Love you."

"Love you too," Violet replied, followed by the other two. Sonic smiled once again, and slowly turned off their lights, before taking a step back and lightly shutting their bedroom door. Turning, he was not surprised to see Amy standing before him, also smiling. At first, they both stood in the dark hallway, staring at each other. And then Amy broke the silence.

"I'm _always_ right?" she whispered, holding back a laugh. Sonic smirked.

"Did I say that?" he asked harmlessly, and Amy smacked at him, laughing quietly.

"No. You're imposter might've though," Amy replied, kissing his nose quickly before sauntering off towards the kitchen. "Movie night?"

"Why not?"

Oh yeah. The bedtime process had gone perfectly.


	5. Black Flower, White Flower

List: ZehHyperactiveAuthor, Shizuku Tsukishima749, Zeldaskeeper, Koollolly, IHeartSonAmy, and Leah 'L's' the hedgehog!

Let's all thank **GodsSonicGirl **for this chapter! I wouldn't have thought of this idea without her help, and I absolutely love this idea…Any of you are welcome to give me ideas as well. I don't have a whole lot of plans myself, and I'd like this story to reach...hmm, a lot of chapters, lol. So anyone's help would be appreciated! Anyhow, thanks for the reviews, everyone, and onwards, march!

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Chapter five

Black Flower, White Flowers

It began awful.

The two hated one another. When the red hedgehog wasn't intimidated by the world's hero, the blue hedgehog was intimidated by the world's most unlikely father. And it had all gone downhill from there. Life seemed like a wilting black rose, until one faithful day. And then, suddenly, the two were back to square one, not negative fifty.

From there, things went uphill. Neither would ever be able to say when things started changing. One minute they were enemies, the next neutral, and then like father and son.

And as the red hedgehog held his youngest grandchild, the blue hedgehog didn't feel any threat towards the old man.

"She sure is a beauty, Sonic," the red one whispered, staring down at infant Samantha. Sonic smiled proudly, rubbing his nose with enthusiasm, a trait Amy adored too much for him to lose.

"She looks like her mom, doesn't she?" Sonic smirked, and he walked over to his daughter and father-in-law. "See, look at her nose. It's just like Ames'. And her eyes…gorgeous. A boy's bound to get lost in 'em the moment she steps into preschool." The older man laughed softly.

"You're right about that," he agreed, jiggling the baby awake as he set her in Sonic's arms again. Turning away from the two hedgehogs, the older hedgehog looked out the window, a weary smile on his face. Sonic smiled curiously at Howard.

"What did you fall for first?" Howard questioned, and for some reason, Sonic knew exactly what the red hedgehog was asking. What made Sonic fall for his wife in the first place?

"Her eyes," he admitted, going a little red. "Naturally, I'd notice my daughter's if they look the same, huh?" Howard nodded slowly.

"The eyes are always the windows to a soul," he murmured. "That's what I fell for in Barbara too. I saw a spark in them; life, peace, and joy that wasn't in my family as a child." The blue hedgehog smiled kindly.

"Ya think it's always the eyes?" he mused softly, hoping not to disturb Samantha, who had fallen back to sleep.

"Na," Howard answered, turning back to the younger blue hedgehog. "Not everyone has great eyes like our wives do."

"We certainly got lucky, then," Sonic quipped, clutching his newborn child closer to himself as he looked down at her small face, love dancing in his emerald green eyes.

"You know," Howard suddenly started, and he looked back outside, where he vaguely watched his older grandchildren playing outside with his two daughters and wife. "I'm glad she didn't listen to me. And I'm glad you didn't either." A silence filled the room, Sonic a bit taken aback to say anything at first. But then the blue hedgehog smiled, hiding his smile by looking back down at Samantha.

"I'm just glad things turned out even better."

"Better?" Howard asked, confused, and Sonic held back a chuckle. The man was older than him, sure, but sometimes he acted so much younger and naïve.

"Hey, you and Barbara learned a bunch about each other, right?" the blue hedgehog questioned. "And you stayed with each other. You're still goin' strong. And me and Ames…we learned too. About a lot of things." This time it was Howard's turn to smile. "But ya know?" Howard blinked, looking back up at Sonic who smirked playfully, a smirk that Howard had once loathed, but now enjoyed seeing in his, Amy's, or even in grandchildren's direction. "I'm glad we're best buds now."

Smiling at each other, the red hedgehog could tell; anything that had been left unsaid, had just been said. And in a conversation less than five minutes long.

"Me too," Howard replied, as he turned to Rose, his second youngest granddaughter who had just entered the room, and she handed him a flower from outside. He crouched down to her level, and took the white daisy from her hand, grinning at her own sheepish grin. It was as if the flower represented a complete new start. What with Samantha, only a few days old, and a burden-free father/son relationship with a cocky blue hedgehog. "Me too."

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Oooh yeah! That was fun! Thanks again for the idea, GodsSonicGirl! Hope I justified your idea to your liking. I have to say, it took me longer than I expected to figure out what to do with this drabble, but I'm so glad I got it figured out. Thanks for readin', peepz! Next drabble comin' soon!

~Ksonic~


	6. Still My Son, Part I

List: IHeartSonAmy, Rugtugba, Koollolly, Zeldaskeeper, Shizuku Tsukishima749, ZehHyperactiveAuthor, Leah 'L's' the hedgehog, and Lupus Silvae!

Whoo, I'm back peepz! Yep, I decided to just get back to writing on this story, 'cause I have a lot of ideas right now, and some of them are dying to be written. Sorry, for those of you who are only here for the kitchen explosion, that'll come later. I'm too excited about this one…anyway, thank you all so much for the kind reviews! Onwards, march!

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Chapter six

Still My Son, Part One

It wasn't fair.

He was the only one who couldn't go fast. Alright, so that was an over-exaggeration, and even the five year old knew it. But he was the only slow boy, in the family. Every other boy in the family had a cool name, for crying out loud! He was the only _normal_ one, and even though his mother always told him it was okay to be normal, he never felt it was alright.

Because his father never paid any attention to him _because_ he was normal.

Nick knew that his mother thought of him as her smart son, because he listened to her and could read pretty well for a five year old. The other two were the wild, obnoxious ones that never listened. But Nick didn't necessarily want his mother's attention all the time. It got old, for she was a girl, and he was a boy. He needed his father's attention sometimes.

But he never got it.

Until one day.

Instead of sitting on the couch, like the young boy usually did, and reading his book, Nick couldn't stand seeing his father not greet him today. So he had resorted to sitting outside, in the front lawn underneath a tree, hoping that his dad would notice him as he zoomed on home. But he shouldn't have thought he'd be noticed more than usual.

"Hey squirt, what's up?"

It was the only thing his dad would ever say to him when he'd arrive home from work. Nick didn't even have a cool nickname. Dash had _sport_, and Flash, _buddy_. And Nick was thought of as the scrawny one who couldn't do anything useful. His nickname said it all to the boy.

And, for the first time, the young child couldn't pretend he wasn't affected. He couldn't pretend his father's approval didn't mean a thing to him, because it did, more than anything. No matter how hard the boy tried, he rarely got his father's attention. Even being able to read at the age of four hadn't met anything to Sonic!

So, like many five year olds do, the boy began to cry.

Confused, the blue hedgehog turned back to his son, who sat underneath the apple tree by their house. What had he said? He didn't say anything out of the ordinary, had he?

No, Sonic realized, he'd greeted him the same way he always did. And yet, the boy was crying.

Fear came to the blue hedgehog's heart as he ran up to his son, the one he hardly knew and yet loved. What if the boy had hurt himself? Amy would be _panicked_. No, that was an understatement. Anytime her children got hurt, she'd feel like she'd been the one to get hurt.

"Hey, Nick, what's the matter?" Sonic asked cautiously, as he sat down by his son. Having never been good with comforting his kids at the worst of times, Sonic didn't know what to do when the boy stumbled to his feet and began to run off. Concern filled the hedgehog's face, and he too pushed himself to his feet, and ran after the hysterical child. Grabbing his son by the shoulders, Sonic forced the boy to look at him. "Squirt, what's the matter?"

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**

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**_Yeah, I almost gave it all to you in this one chapter. But then, it would've been really long. So, I figured I'd save it for the next chapter, and get you all mad at me, 'cause I'm good at that sometimes, lol. Hope you enjoyed this, and, don't worry, the exploding kitchen _will_ come soon!

~Ksonic~


	7. Still My Son, Part II

List: IHeartSonAmy, Jaydan the Hedgehog, Lupus Silvae, Rugtugba, Koollolly, Shizuku Tsukishima749, and Leah 'L's' the hedgehog!

For all you kitchen-exploding lovers, don't you worry! This is the last drabble until that one! I had to finish up this "Still My Son" stuff, which I really enjoyed writing...Anywho, thanks guys for the reviews! They brightened up my day. Anywho, onwards, march!

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Chapter seven

Still My Son, Part Two

Grabbing his son by the shoulders, Sonic forced the boy to look at him. "Squirt, what's the matter?"

"Don't call me that!" the boy snapped, trying to push away from his father, but the blue hedgehog wasn't about to let the boy run off again. Looking a bit hurt, Sonic resorted to another method.

"Did ya get hurt? Does mom need to-?"

"It's not about mommy!" the boy cried out, and he started pounding at his father, hoping it would make the already stunned hedgehog let go of him.

"Nick." His father's voice was controlled and steady, but Nick could tell that Sonic was confused. And he wanted an answer. "Nick, what happened? Did something bad happen today?" The boy stopped hitting his father and looked down at his _slow_ feet, ashamed. He had never deliberately hurt either of his parents before. Usually, that was something for the other two boys to do.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, tears streaking down his face, and suddenly, the boy was crying into his father's chest. Now even more stunned, the blue hedgehog sat there awkwardly with his son, until, cautiously, he put his own arms around the small boy.

"It's gonna be okay, alright Nick? Everything's all right. I'm here."

Slowly, the tears ceased, and cautiously, hoping his son wouldn't break down again, Sonic pulled away.

"You okay?" he asked carefully. The young boy nodded, and Sonic let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "What…what happened, sq-son?" The blue hedgehog caught himself just in time from calling the boy his normal nickname, having remembered that the boy didn't like it for some reason.

"Do…do you lwove me?" the boy asked slowly, looking back down at his feet. Again, the blue hedgehog was stunned.

"Of course," Sonic answered, blinking in confusion. "You're my son, after all!"

"The slow one," Nick barked. "The worthlwess one, who's onlwy good enough to be thought of as a squirt. The one you never notice. The one-"

"Nick," Sonic interrupted, and he smiled sadly down at his son. "You're still my son. You can be slow, worthless, tiny, useless, and I'd still love you." The small boy looked down again, not knowing if his father's sentence should be taken as a compliment or not. "But guess what?" You may be slow, but nothing else on your list was true. You understand me?"

"B-but," Nick stammered, but Sonic put a hand over his son's mouth.

"No buts," Sonic replied, smirking softly. "You're still my son, and I still love you." The boy had tears in his eyes again, and he hastily wiped them away with his arm, sniffling quietly.

"T-then, why don't you ever h-hang with me?" the small child asked, forcing himself not to start crying again. Sonic smiled sadly down at his son, hoping the boy wouldn't be able to tell how anxious and guilty he appeared.

"Well," Sonic started awkwardly, "I just…I don't know what you like. I mean…you can't run like I can or the other boys…" Nick looked down, ashamed, and Sonic instantly knew he had said the wrong thing. "But, I mean, I just don't know if you'd enjoy runnin' with me, since you can't…And there's nothing wrong with being normal! I just…" Sonic sighed, looking down at his own feet. The blue hedgehog was at a loss for words, which was something that rarely happened to him. If only Amy were outside, so she could try and explain to Nick what Sonic was trying to say. He'd never been good with emotions.

"Daddy?" Nick questioned, looking up at this father for the first time in a long time. "Do ya mean it…when ya say it don't matter if I'm normal, an' slow…?" Sonic nodded.

"Of course I mean it," he replied. "An' I'm sorry you didn't know that I cared about you…I've never been good with showing I love someone, have I?" Nick shook his head, and Sonic chuckled bitterly. "Well, how 'bout I do somethin' with ya tonight, instead of the other boys?" Nick's eyes brightened considerably, and he smiled.

"You mean it, Dad?"

"Absolutely," Sonic answered, smiling back. "What do you wanna do? Do you…um, want to read to me, or…I don't know." Sonic frowned again. He hadn't realized how much he didn't know his own son, and what he liked to do, besides read. Feeling guilt press at him again, he was about to apologize to the boy, when Nick asked,

"Can't you take me on a run?" Sonic blinked, confused.

"You're okay with that?" the older hedgehog asked. "Even though you wouldn't be able to run by yourself?" The young boy nodded.

"You know why I read a lot, Daddy?" the boy stated. "It's 'cause it's the only way I get the adventure I would like."

"Yeah?" Sonic grinned, suddenly finding something in common with the kid. "You wanna see the world?" The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Alright! Lemme go tell your mom what we're doing, an' then we can go, okay? You can put your book away while you wait."

"Okay, Daddy." The young boy was about to run off into the house, when he turned back to his father, and hugged him, similarly to how Amy had once hugged the blue hedgehog before Sonic had fallen for her.

And Sonic couldn't help but smile at the memory, in a way, glad to know that at least one of his kids had the same kind of hug Amy had.

Suddenly the blue hedgehog had no doubt in his mind; the boy was indeed his son. There would be no more secrets between the two of them.


	8. Orange Juice, Popcorn and Red Lego's

List: Leah 'L's' the hedgehog, Lupus Silvae, Zeldaskeeper, ZehHyperactiveAuthor, Flare The Hedgehog, Shizuku Tsukishima749, IHeartSonAmy, Jaydan the Hedgehog, and Koollolly!

So since you guys all freaked out about having two parts last time, just expect this chapter to be a _**long**_ one. Good thing it's the kitchen one, eh? Anywho, thanks for the fantastic reviews everyone! And I hope this chapter is what you're all looking for! Part of the credit for the chapter goes to me, sure, but it also goes to_** Leah 'L's' **__**the**__**hedgehog**_. Hope you enjoy it! So, let's give her a round of applause! Anywho, onwards, march!

(Oh, and just a reminder; kids can't talk well at the age of five, so therefore, spelling is going to be a little…odd.)

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Chapter eight  
Orange Juice, Popcorn and Red Lego's

Eight years. It had been eight years, full of joy, pain, humor, and horror. Eight years full of laughter with a pink hedgehog, eight years full of tears with a pink hedgehog. In eight years, five children had been born to them, one adopted, and yet another one on the way.

And even after eight long yet short years of marriage between a blue and pink hedgehog, Sonic still wasn't bored. He still could look upon his wife, Amy, and blush at the memory of a simple kiss, of the simple words, "I love you" being exchanged between the two of them before they turned in for the night. Amy wasn't bored either, and she would still giggle at Sonic's playful smirk, would still blush at the nickname Ames, and would still get the butterfly feeling in her stomach. Their simple but strong love was what kept the two of them going, and also the kids going. Even though Dash would freak when his parents kissed in front of them, a feeling of security was always deep within the young hedgehog. A feeling of, "Mom and Dad will always be there for me and for each other."

And, maybe that was why the young blue hedgehog wanted to do this so badly. Maybe he wanted to honor his parents for staying together through thick and thin, through happiness and pain, and near deaths within the family multiple times. The speedy blue hedgehog knew that most of his friends either had one parent, or a step parent. But he was lucky enough to be able to say that he had both parents, by each other's side, by his side, and by his sibling's sides.

Opening a cupboard, the blue hedgehog debated on which cake pan he should use. Should he use the plain one? That one would probably be easier to deal with, but the heart shaped container sounded like a better idea to him, so he grabbed it out of the cupboard eagerly, a grin planted firmly on his muzzle.

His mom had been trying to teach him and the other kids how to cook, basically since they were born. Usually, Dash hated all the cooking lessons on how to bake cookies to perfection. The only good thing about cooking and baking, he had figured, was when you got to eat the food, which usually didn't happen very quickly. Cookies seemed to take forever to make. Therefore, Dash usually didn't pay much attention to the lessons on what was the difference between things like a table spoon and a regular spoon, between sugar and flour.

But today, he was going to use the little amount of knowledge he had to bake a cake for his parents' eighth anniversary.

He smiled once again at the thought as he opened the refrigerator door, and searched for a few eggs. He wasn't sure how many eggs he would need for the recipe he'd found on the back of an empty cake mix, for he had given up trying to decipher the words. He was only five, for crying out loud. He shouldn't be expected to be able to read to perfection.

If Kyler, the leader of the kids, knew he was baking a cake without any help, he knew she'd freak out, especially if she knew that he couldn't read the box's recipe anyway. That was how Kyler was. She was a perfectionist it seemed; a goody-two shoes, "Let's ask mom every single time for help," kind of person. And Dash was not like his adoptive sister, much to his joy. Dash also knew that if his mom knew he was doing this, she'd also panic, but in a much more, controlled, "Let me help you," kind of way. His father would probably give him a thumbs up and somehow end up helping the boy without Dash even knowing. And the other siblings…Violet would probably go tattle to Kyler or mom, and the triplets would probably make more of a mess of the issue by trying to help.

Which was why the boy was doing this completely alone, at four in the morning, when he knew not even his early rising father would be up. He chuckled excitedly to himself, proud that he had come up with this ingenious plan without anyone's help. Even if he couldn't read perfectly yet, he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, he figured. After all, Kyler hadn't thought of this great plan, and she was _three years older_ than him. Who was the smart one now? Him, obviously.

Cracking four eggs into the heart-shaped pan, the boy pondered what would come next. Milk?

Yes, milk sounded right. But it also sounded boring, so he figured orange juice could replace the boring taste of milk. Grinning, the boy opened the fridge door again and pulled out the orange juice carton. After a second of thought, Dash concluded he'd just pour the orange juice into the pan until he figured it would be enough. Besides, measuring cups were all confusing with their three-fourths and half's. Really now, who _understood_ those fractions? Definitely not a five year old. Opening the carton, the boy stood back on his stool (which he had proudly figured he would need to reach the cabinet) and watched the orange juice quickly pour onto the unbeaten eggs. When the juice reached about half way up the container, Dash stopped pouring it, wondering if maybe he had overdone it, but only for a second. After setting the orange juice carton on the counter, Dash again wondered what else was supposed to go in a cake mix.

"Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, a little too loudly for this time of morning, but he hardly noticed as he rushed towards the flour container. He knew that the flour had a label on it, but since he couldn't really read the jumbled up letters quite yet, and since he didn't want to try, he refereed to looks. He was pretty sure the pink label was the flour, so he picked that one up, and dumped about half of cup worth into the batter, which by now looked like a messy glob of nothingness, mostly liquid. But the five year old was not discouraged as he set off towards the stove.

There was one more ingredient. One he would add, even though he didn't know of any cake with this ingredient.

Popcorn.

The boy loved popcorn. In fact, unlike his father who loved chili dogs the most, Dash's favorite food was popcorn, and he had always fantasized about having popcorn in something as good as a cake. So, the boy rushed towards the cupboard full of popcorn bags, ripped one open, and sprinkled a _few_ kernels into the batter. _Now_, he was ready, and he turned the burner on high.

He giggled as the flames danced around in the air, and he rushed to the counter where he picked up the heart-shaped mix of batter, and put it gently on top of the burner, barely managing to not get himself burned in the process.

Standing back happily, he watched the batter for a few slow minutes, before getting bored and frowning. Why was the cake taking so long to bake? He had used the burner instead of the oven to speed things up, but the only thing the batter seemed to be doing was sit still. It wasn't hardening into a cake at all!

"Dafs?" The blue hedgehog froze. That sounded a bunch like Flash's voice. Turning to the doorway, the blue hedgehog met eyes with his groggy younger brother, who rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Dafs?" the young toddler asked again, and Dash muttered angrily to himself under his breath. He had been caught. "Waz tha' smeel?"  
"A cake," the older brother answered in defeat. "But now it won't be a surprise since ya came an' ruinied i'."

"No!" the toddler cried out, seeming wide awake all of a sudden as he rushed to the cake mix. "I'z wanna healp."

"Well, ya can't!" Dash barked. "Ya don't know one thing 'bout bakin' a cake to perfecshin. I do." The older brother pointed to himself proudly. "Now, why don't ya go back to bed?" Flash's pout face immediately made Dash panic. If he didn't stop the boy from crying, someone would wake up and the surprise would really be ruined!

"B-bu' I wanna-" Flash started as tears came to his eyes.

"Okay, okay!" Dash barked. "Ya can help. Happy?" The younger boy's tears immediately dried up.

"Yeah!" he screamed in excitement. "Fun!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fun," Dash cut in, looking angry. "But quiet! We can't wake anyone up!" Sighing in defeat, Dash turned back to the cake mix, which by now was bubbling, as if it was starting to boil. Confused, the boy blinked. Maybe he needed more flour to solidify it up a bit more.

Suddenly, Dash was aware that Flash was putting something into the boiling batter, and he rushed towards his brother.

"Flash, no!" he yelled, but it was too late. The younger boy cried out in pain as his finger suddenly ran into flames, and whatever the boy had been adding to the cake mix fell into it without a sight, somewhere lost in the deep orange juice. "Flash, are you alright?" Dash cried, panic seeping through his veins. "Don't you know ya can't touch fire?" How the heck was he going to explain his brother's burnt finger without giving away the cake? Speaking of the cake, Dash looked away from his crying brother just long enough to see orange juice pouring down the sides of the oven, and his eyes enlarged. First a crying baby brother, and than an overrunning cake.

Gosh, this morning just _wasn't_ his day anymore.

And suddenly, to make matters worse, a stern voice could suddenly be heard by the doorway.

"Dash the Hedgehog!" Kyler's voice. The boy lowered his ears.

'_Goodbye life.'_

"What's going on in here?" his sister cried out in alarm as she yanked Flash away from Dash's grip. Counseling the hurt boy with her soft voice, she turned back to her other brother, a glare planted directly towards him. "What do you think you're doing, up at this time? Mom and Dad will kill you!"

"I'm making a cake!" the young boy protested. "An' Flash wanted ta help an' he got himself hurt an'-"

"Three year olds can't bake!" Kyler screeched. "And neither can five year olds!"

"Yes I can!" Dash snapped back. "See?" He pointed to the overflowing pan, and he gasped as he realized how out of control it was, as popcorn suddenly began to pop right out of the pan along with the orange juice. Stumbling up, the boy flew towards the cake, telling himself to ignore the pain as steaming hot orange juice played with his bare toes. Grabbing the flour-or, what he figured was flour- he dumped five cups worth of it in the liquid-y batter, hoping to see it become more solid within seconds.

But, instead, the sound of a sizzling pan mixed in with a smoke detector beat the batter to solidifying, and suddenly water was everywhere. And, of course, so was popcorn.

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The sound of children screaming-his children- was the first thing the blue hedgehog heard, before suddenly he could also hear a smoke detector. A nasty burnt smell found its way into his nose, and the blue hedgehog was wide awake in seconds as he stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen, followed closely by Amy, who had awoken only seconds after him.

"What's going on?" the half-conscious father cried as he skidded to a halt in the kitchen, where water, smoke, and popcorn flew in all directions. Gazing around the room in disbelief, his eyes fell on a crying Flash in Kyler's arms, who looked irritated as she tried comforting him. Shifting his gaze, the blue hedgehog turned to the stove, where Dash stood in his pajamas, crying silently as he poured flour into…something.

Amy immediately headed towards Kyler and Flash, and the older child stared up at Amy sheepishly, as if she expected punishment.

"What happened?" Amy whispered, trying to keep her temper down, ignoring the water as it poured down her back. Kyler bit her lip, and, like siblings usually do, she pointed at Dash, who, by now was trying to catch the fleeing popcorn.

"He started it?" Her sentence sounded more like a question, as if she were already questioning her punishment, but without those words, and she looked down at Flash, before handing him to her mother. "I'm sorry. I…"

Amy sighed angrily and turned to Sonic, who frowned back at her, shrugging.

"Deal with Dash, will ya?" Amy pleaded him, and she turned back to Kyler, gave her the look of, 'You're coming with me, young lady,' and the two girls and Flash exited the damp room, the siren blaring in their ears the whole time, Kyler staring down at her feet as she shuffled after her mother.

All this went unnoticed to young Dash, as he stopped adding flour to the mixture and stopped trying to catch the popcorn. He had been defeated, and he knew it. He had been defeated by orange juice and popcorn.

Suddenly the water stopped falling on his back, and the blaring smoke detector fell silent. Looking up, the young hedgehog came face to face with a stern looking blue hedgehog, who tapped his foot impatiently a few feet away. Dash quickly looked back down.

"Care to explain?"

Dash shook his head. At least he was honest.

A weary sigh escaped Sonic's mouth, and he put a hand up to his forehead, rubbing the precipitation off of it slowly.

"You know how worried we were?" Sonic continued. "And then, what do we find? A five year old kid trying to blow up the house, a crying toddler, and an eight year old who can't properly hold her baby brother."

Silence.

Sighing in defeat, Sonic gently pushed the small boy away from the burner, and he turned it off like he had the sprinkler system and the alarm with a quick flick of his wrist. Looking down at what was in the pan, the blue hedgehog raised a confused eyebrow when he saw bubbling orange juice, popcorn kernels, a red Lego, unbeaten eggs, and something white.

A smirk was dying to escape the father's lips, but he knew he had to stay firm. So, in the most controlled voice the hedgehog could muster, he asked the boy,

"What were you trying to…erm, make?"

"A cake," Dash whispered back, staring down at his feet, where he also found orange juice. He glared at it, but the glare was more miserable than angry to do any good.

"A cake?" Sonic echoed, confusion written across his face as he turned to Dash. "With _orange juice and popcorn and a Lego_?"

So _that_ was what Flash had put in the mix. Dash nodded slowly.

"I wanted a cake that wasn't boring with milk," the boy explained, "and I like popcorn so I thought…"

"And the Lego?" The blue hedgehog couldn't help but ask about that.

"Flash must've put it in when he got hurt," Dash explained, sighing sadly. Tears were in the corner of his eyes. "I…I wanted to make ya guys a annivesey cake…" The child sniffed sadly.

"Anniversary," Sonic managed to correct, before he suddenly was breaking out into laughter. The young hedgehog looked up from his feet in confusion. Why the heck was his father laughing at this? He had made a disastrous cake, had hurt Flash, had woken them up…

"Um…Dash?" The blue hedgehog finally managed to gain his composure, and he stared up at his son with amusement. "Ya do know that orange juice, popcorn, and Lego's don't mix, don't you?" He pulled his son into a hug, and the boy bit his lip, still not understanding his father's laughter. None of this seemed funny to him!

"I'm sorry," the boy choked out, tears rolling down his face. If he were a wimp he knew he would've been crying his heart out on his father's shoulder, like Nick sometimes did, but he wasn't a wimp in any form. Or…was he?

"Hey, sport," Sonic answered, gently wiping away his son's tears. The boy tried taking a deep breath to stop his tears. "It's alright. I just didn't know you thought you could make a cake out of that stuff."

"Why can't you?" the boy whimpered, suddenly embracing the idea of cuddling into his father's warm chest. He was exhausted.

Sonic blinked, not knowing how to answer his son's question.

"Erm…they just don't," Sonic replied weakly, glad that his son wasn't old enough to know that his answer was poor. "And I guess you learned that tonight, eh?" The small boy nodded.

"I'm sorry ya guys will not have a cake," the boy said sadly, looking away from his father and trying to push himself out of the embrace. Sonic smiled gently at his son.

"Hey, why don't you an' I make one ourselves?" the blue hedgehog asked. "I can teach ya, and we won't have to set the sprinklers off."

"Bu' I wanna do i' by myself," the boy answered stubbornly. "I thought I could…but I guess I can't."

"Sure ya can!" Sonic comforted. "Ya just need a few pointers, that's all." Sonic winked at the boy, and suddenly Dash knew his father had convinced him. "But we should do it tomorrow mornin', alright? It's too early now, and you need your rest for tomorrow."

The young boy nodded, again feeling sleepy as his father slowly picked him up off the ground. Wrapping his arms around his father's neck, the boy nuzzled into his father and closed weary eyes, glad that his dad wasn't mad at him. After all, he knew his mother would be, but with his dad on his side, his mother wouldn't have as big of a lecture for him in the morning.

"Thanks, Daddy," the boy murmured as Sonic set him down on his bed. Sonic smirked lightly.

"First thing tomorrow, you an' me, alright?" Sonic winked again as he tucked the youngster in his small bed. "And we'll use milk, chocolate chips, and fluffy icing."

"Not orange juice and popcorn and red Lego's," Dash giggled, and then he yawned slowly. "Happy Annivesey, Daddy."

"Thanks sport."

And even as Sonic headed back to the kitchen to clean it up before a rather irked Amy would come in and help him clean up the rest, the blue hedgehog smiled dumbly, remembering a time when, he too, had practically burned the house down with sugar and flour.


	9. Miracle

List: Silverdawn2010, GodsSonicGirl, Leah 'L's' the hedgehog, Freya the hedgehog 23, Koollolly, IHeartSonAmy, Lupus Silvae, Aztecka, Zeldaskeeper, SonamySistah96, and, ZehHyperactiveAuthor!

Eleven reviews…? Haha, I sure hope you all know how much you all made my day when I saw that! I was expecting something like, nine, but eleven (even though it's only two more than usual) is awesome! Thank you all so much!

Anyway, this chapter was inspired by GodsSonicGirl. She wanted me to write a chapter about Amy's pregnancy with the triplets…Yeah, you can't really tell the pregnancy is of triplets in this, but I hope I justified your idea anyway, GodsSonicGirl. Anywho, let's get going! Onwards, march!

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Chapter nine

Miracle

The sun was starting to wake up and creep through the window blinds. Birds chirped quietly out in their trees, hoping not to disturb the world's sleepers. Three hedgehog children nestled up in their blankets and turned away from the sun's rays as they sighed in their sleep, no doubt still in dream land.

It was that morning when the blue hedgehog awoke to come face to face with his sleeping wife, her mouth slightly open as she breathed in, breathed out, in such a steady rhythm that the blue hedgehog almost fell back to sleep. But he yawned and sat up in bed, stretching his arms. Breathing in deeply, he again turned to his wife, where he could see a small bump on her stomach. Three months. She was three months along.

The blue hedgehog smiled dumbly. A new family member, and in six months. In half a year. In the season of fall. He reached out a hand and gently stroked the bulge, careful not to wake his sleeping wife.

So many questions were going through his mind. Was it a girl? A boy? Maybe twins, or triplets? What color what he or she be? Would the child be more like him or Amy? Would its eyes be jade or emerald colored? Would the kid grow up to be a doctor, a fireman, a dentist? Maybe the kid would love math and science. Maybe not. Suppose the kid could run as fast as he. Maybe the child would have a hammer later in life, like Amy did.

So many possibilities lay in that stomach of his wife's. So many different outcomes could take place. And for now, the baby was hardly anything more than a living mass in his wife. Someday, Sonic knew, the child would have emotions, likes, dislikes. Someday he knew the child would do more than suck its thumb and kick his wife in her sleep. Someday he knew the baby would grow into a toddler, a kid, a teenager, a young adult. Someday he figured the child would have its own children, start its own family.

Sonic blinked, not allowing himself to think that far into the future. He wanted this baby, _his_ baby, to be his as long as possible. And if he thought of the future now, the child in his mind would already be grown up and out of the house, on its way to college.

His wife stirred in her sleep, and opened weary eyes. Blinking, she stared up at Sonic and smiled, who smiled back at her, their gazes full of promises and love.

"Sleep well?" he asked her.

"Mmm." She laid her hand on his, which still sat on her small belly. A comfortable silence.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he whispered.

"How much I love you."

"Really?"

"Mmm, na," she teased. "Thinking about the baby…our miracle." Sonic smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead lovingly.

"Me too."

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This was a really fun chapter to write! I enjoyed it sooo much! Thanks for the idea, **GodsSonicGirl**!

So I'll be leaving for a week long trip starting tomorrow. I decided to update this before I left, and I guess if I were you, I wouldn't be surprised if I update this story again tonight. I want to update as much as I can before I go, and right now I'm not _feeling_ my other stories…Anyway, thanks again, GodsSonicGirl, and I hope I justified your idea. Thanks for reading everybody!

~Ksonic~


	10. Hero

So yeah…no list this time around because I updated this chapter so quickly after the last one. But I'll thank you now for those who will review! They all mean a lot! Anywho, onwards, march! (Oh, and if you can't tell, the characters in this drabble are Sonic and Violet.)

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Chapter ten

Hero

_She was being chased. _

_She'd been running for a long time, how long, she wasn't sure. All she knew as that a monster had been chasing her though the streets of downtown Future City to the point of her exhaustion. _

_The monster was a big brown blob of something, she wasn't sure what. But somehow it could run without legs, could screech without a mouth, could scare the living day lights out of the small child._

_Turning, the girl raced down the alleyway, noting the stray cats only vaguely as they jumped out of her way, trying to find a safe hiding place from the twenty foot monster. Sirens raced into the girl's ears, but she knew the police wouldn't hear them, because they hadn't earlier._

_Slipping on a pile of garbage, the child hastily looked behind her, saw the monster about to lunge at her, and scrambled back to her feet._

"_Daddy!" she cried urgently, still running, still panting, as she turned a sharp corner. "Daddy, come quickly! Daddy, I need you!"_

_She was crying now, and she slumped down to her feet miserably, panting. She couldn't run anymore. She just couldn't. Her sides ached, her feet burned, her mouth dry…_

_If only she could run like Daddy, or Dash, or even Flash. If only she had a hammer like her mother or Rose, to defend herself. If only, if only…_

_But she didn't have any of these things. She didn't have incredible speed or a giant hammer. All she had was herself and the wall behind her in the alley. _

_The monster, seeing its advantage, stopped charging after the five year old, but instead slowly stalked towards the shaking form lying in a cold puddle, which stared up with fear in her eyes at her pursuer._

"_Daddy?" she whispered upon seeing the monster's sharp claws. "Daddy…help me."_

A shake, a murmur in her ear, and she awoke screaming bloody murder. Warm arms embraced the shaking child as she cried out, afraid, confused.

"Daddy, i-it w-was gonn-a ki-kill me!" she stammered, hiding her face into her father's chest.

"No it wasn't," the father replied, as he slowly began to rock her. "I came before it could hurt you, right?" the girl whimpered a yes, and the father sighed, a bit relieved, for he had really started to worry when his daughter hadn't woken up to his voice in the start.

"He…he was s-so big…"

"But I came," the blue hedgehog replied to the violet one gently. "And you're safe. It won't hurt you. I'll always come before it can, alright?" The child nodded.

"You're my hero," she whispered softly.

The father blinked. He'd heard those words from so many people before. He'd heard those exact words form Amy bygones ago, back on Earth. But his daughter's words actually went through to the blue hedgehog. And he smiled admits his daughter's tears.

"And I'll always be there to save the day," he replied, snuggling her close. "I'll always be your hero."


	11. Photographs of Love Part I

Chapter 9 list: Silverdawn2010, Koollolly, IHeartSonAmy, and GodsSonicGirl!

Chapter 10 list: Koollolly, IHeartSonAmy, Sonamy Lover, Zeldaskeeper, and GodsSonicGirl!

Whoo, I'm finally back! I got some great ideas on my trip, so I'm pretty excited about writing them. Thank you so much for the reviews for the past two chapters, everyone! Anyway, onwards, march! (Ah…by the way, I'm using a different writing style for this chapter. Don't know why, it just sort of happened. Just FYI.)

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Chapter eleven

Photographs of Love

The sounds of their arguing freak her out enough that it isn't surprising when Violet hesitantly knocks on her older sister's door, and asks if she can come in. A murmur later, the door opens, and a light blue hedgehog smiles gently down at her sister as she allows the girl in her room, closing the door behind her softly.

"What's up, Vi?" the thirteen year old asks, as she walks back to her bed. Plopping down on it, the blue hedgehog shifts through a pile of pictures lying on her green sheets. Violet crawls up onto her sister's bed, looking nervous and antsy as a sudden loud explanation from downstairs forces the child to wince.

"Kyler?" the girl starts slowly, looking down at her sister's bed sheet, "how come when Mom and Dad fight they have to be so loud?"

A laugh escapes the older child, and she continues glancing at the pictures in front of her, moving some to the left side of her bed, the others to the right.

"'Cause they're Mom and Dad," the young teenager replies, as if she were an expert. "It's how they work through their problems."

"By scaring the heck out of me?" Violet asks quietly. She looks up at her sister, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Kyler, I've been thinking. What if something happens…? What if Dad or Mom fall out of love or-"

"Stop." Kyler's voice is stern, and Violet shrinks back, her ears down. "Just stop," Kyler continues, unfazed by her sister's reaction. "That won't happen in a million years, and you know it. Mom and Dad have been together through thick and thin."

"But so have a lot of other couples," Violet insists, looking back up at Kyler. "Some couples go through death itself for twenty years, and then they break it off!" Kyler sighs.

"But Mom and Dad aren't like that," Kyler answers impatiently. "They'll always be together. They've been through more than one death, Vi, and they've known each other since they were our age. Why would they break it off now?"

A shout from downstairs practically shakes the small room, and Kyler suddenly grins and reaches for her camera by her foot. Leaping off her bed, Kyler races out into the hall, a dumbfounded Violet close behind her.

"Where're you going?" Violet asks, and the blue hedgehog shushes her sister before looking down the stairs railings, where she quickly sees a pacing blue hedgehog and a crying pink hedgehog on the other side of the room. Her grin widens, and Violet, utterly confused, stares at her sister open mouthed. Who in their right mind would be fascinated by a parent's argument?

A second later changes the whole scene, and Violet blinks, lost, while Kyler pumps her fist in the air, silently cheering as she lifts up her camera, takes a quick snapshot, and zooms out of the room before the flash on the camera has time to make its way downstairs. Violet follows dumbly after her sister, back into Kyler's room, where Kyler's cheers suddenly become vocal.

"Ha, did you see that?" she yells in an excited whisper. "That was an epic picture! Just epic! One of their better arguments in a long time."

"_Better arguments_?" Violet breathes, feeling faint. Her sister has lost her mind.

Kyler turns to her sister, her grin wide as she giggles. Slowly, Kyler's laughter turns quiet, and she motions to the pictures on her bed.

"See those, Vi?" she questions. "Those are photos of Mom and Dad's good moments." Violet blinks, still lost, and Kyler rolls her eyes impatiently. "You know… the times Dad walks in and hugs Mom from behind at the stove. Or when Mom makes Dad blush. Or-" she waggles her eyebrows, her cheeky grin on the camera in her hands, "after they've had a fight."

Realization hits Violet slowly.

"So you like their arguments because of the photos you can take of them afterward?" she questions. "Do they always randomly make-out in the middle of their fights?" Kyler shrugs and turns to her bed, where a lot of photos of their parents, Violet suddenly realizes, lay.

"A third of the time, yes," the blue one replies as she sits down on her mattress, seeming to be looking for something specific. "Sometimes they make-out like that, yes. That's when Dad's had enough of some random fight, and then, as you saw, he'll just rush up to her, and bam, the whole argument is forgotten, just like that." Kyler grins again and holds up a worn photo. "See this?" she continues. "This is one of the better making-out sessions they've had after a fight. Tonight's was pretty epic too."

Violet's eyes are wide as she takes the photo from her sister's hands, and she sinks down on the bed.

"What happens the other two thirds of the time?" she breathes.

"One of them walks out," Kyler replies nonchalantly. "If Dad walks out, he comes back thirty minutes later with a bouquet of flowers. If Mom walks off, she comes back with red eyes and a hug." She holds up two more pictures, both showing the aftermath of the scenes she just explained to Violet. "I like there fights, in a way, 'cause that's when you see the most love pour out of them," she explains gently to her sister, who's still taking all the information in. "And, you know how much I love photography, especially within the family."

Violet nods. She does know this. When their father gave Kyler a camera on her sister's tenth birthday, the girl just about went nuts she was so ecstatic.

"So, you take pictures of Mom and Dad after fights?" she ponders.

"Uh-huh. Or whenever I sense a moment coming between them," Kyler answers. "And their fights are just the easiest to capture, 'cause I know I'll get something good at the end of them. But you have to guess with their other, random moments. Their random moments are usually better, sure, but harder to capture. Do you understand?" Violet nods again, a smile of her own slowly appearing on her muzzle. Kyler hands her a picture.

"This is Mom and Dad's best picture yet," she says slyly, and Violet's smile becomes genuine.

A silver necklace hangs perfectly on their mother's neck, their father clasping the necklace around the pink hedgehog's neck, a look of love and wonder shimmering in his eyes, which seem glazed as he whispers something in her ear. Their mother's eyes are closed, a hand wrapped around the silver heart, the other sitting lightly on the nearby dresser. A blush is on her cheeks as a single tear falls from her eye, her mouth slightly agape as she seems to be sighing happily. The room is dim, and their mother wears a light blue party dress which would sway in the wind down by her heels. Their father wears nothing, perusal, but a look of astonishment at his wife's beauty, and Violet has a feeling she knows what her father is whispering into her mother's ear.

Violet blinks, remembering.

"You took this before the 15th Anniversary Party of Uncle Tails' repair shop, didn't you?" She looks back up at her sister, who smiles smugly.

"I couldn't resist," Kyler replies, grinning broadly. "The picture was right there, and it was perfect. Absolutely perfect." Violet nods her agreement.

"You ever gonna show these to Mom and Dad?"

"Mm, probably someday, maybe," the light blue hedgehog replies, looking back down at her pile of pictures. "I'm thinking maybe their 25th Anniversary."

"That's years from now," Violet points out.

"Yeah, I know," Kyler replies, and she smiles mischievously. "But I need all the time I can get. I need more pictures to complete the perfect album."

Violet smiles. Suddenly, her parents fight doesn't seem so bad anymore.


	12. Fortune Cookies

List: IHeartSonAmy, Hokuto Ulrik, Zeldaskeeper, GodsSonicGirl, Sonamy Lover, Silverdawn2010, Lupus Silvae, and SonamyRules159!

Thanks everyone for the reviews! They all mean a lot to me! Anyway, so this drabble idea (have you noticed my drabbles are getting longer…? Meh, sorry 'bout that.) came from eating at Panda Express on my trip when I ate a fortune cookie. Of course, my fortune wasn't any good, but anyway… Onwards, march!

Disclaimer: Sigh…no, I don't own the website Amy went to for fortune cookies. But it would be cool if I did…

* * *

Chapter twelve

Fortune Cookies

She had always told Sonic about a new member in a different way. When she had been pregnant with Violet, she'd just told him. With Dash, she had said the wind might have a new friend soon. And with the triplets, she had said that Sonic should be prepared to buy some crackers.

But for this pregnancy, she wanted to be creative. She wanted to be able to tell the child someday how she had told her father about the new baby. And she wanted the memory to be special.

"You could do your own fortune cookie message," Cream had suggested, when Amy had called to tell her friend the news. "It's creative, and Sonic will love it."

"But neither of us believe in superstition," Amy pointed out. "None of us do."

"Well, if you make the message sound too personal, or something, it might freak him out at least," Cream replied. "Just try it. See what happens. If it doesn't work, we can always think up another idea. Besides, do you really want to make supper tonight?" No, Amy admitted, she didn't, and Chinese food sounded good enough to her.

So, there she was, at the computer, looking up how to make her own custom message on a fortune cookies' paper. She clicked on a link that looked promising, smiling lightly as the page loaded.

"Personalize your fortune cookies with your very own custom fortune cookie messages inside each and every cookie!" the page read, in big bold letters, and Amy grinned. This looked promising. Giggling to herself, she continued reading the information, until she came to the part that said how long it would take for the fortune cookie to arrive.

"Rush Orders, and Shipping Options," the website explained, and Amy suddenly realized this could take more than a day to arrive. She wanted to tell Sonic about the baby today, not in…she continued reading. Seven days? It took seven days to send the stupid fortune cookie to her house?

Sighing in frustration, Amy about closed the tab to go look for a faster, more efficient way to get a message on a fortune cookie, when she read,

"Need them even sooner? We specialize in special requests!" Amy's eyes filled with hope. "Since we are a fortune cookie bakery, we can ship fortune cookies in 3-days, next day, and even the same day if needed. Call for details."

"Yes!" Amy yelled, clapping her hands together, giggling like a maniac. Two year old Rose, who sat beside her mother, playing with some toys, looked up, startled. Picking up the nearby phone, Amy giddily dialed the number on the screen.

"Hello, you have reached the original Fancy Fortune Cookies bakery, where we make fancy fortune cookies with your own custom messages. How may I help you?"

Amy could hardly keep herself from squealing. This was such a great plan.

"Y-yes," Amy stammered, suddenly shy. "I would like to order seven fortune cookies with my custom message." At first, Amy had only wanted one fortune cookie, that Sonic could have by himself, but she decided that if would be nice if everyone in the family, besides herself, had their own message about a new baby coming into the family. That way, she wouldn't have to tell the family more than once.

"Alrighty," the man on the other line said cheerfully. "Do you have your own messages figured out, or would you like to skim our ideas on our website?"

"Uh…" Amy hadn't thought about a message yet. Hitting herself mentally, she clicked a link saying 'Baby Shower Fortune Cookies.' "Hold on, lemme think," Amy replied, and she began going through the website's ideas on what to say. She wanted the fortune to freak Sonic out, to be humorous, and she didn't want some cliché message like, 'So sweet and cuddly, cute and fun, we're expecting a new little one!' that the site was suggesting. That would only make Sonic gag.

Sighing, she continued looking through the suggestions, seeing that most of them were about having a little girl, or thanking people for coming to a baby shower. But Amy had just learned this morning about having another baby; she had no idea if it was to be a boy or girl, and she didn't really want to know anyway. Where was the fun in buying toys and what not if you knew the baby's sex?

"Bottles and booties, diapers and pins, this is where the love begins!" read one fortune. Amy considered it quietly. It might work. It wasn't really saying that she and Sonic were having a baby, but, in a way, she wanted her own message…

"Ma'am?" the voice on the phone asked. "Don't forget, you'll need seven different messages, if you order seven like you previously said. Or, they can all be the same, as well."

"Oh, yes, right," Amy replied back, thinking. She figured the triplets would need a very simple message on their fortune cookies, since they couldn't read and since they were too young to understand what could happen with a new family member. "Have one read," Amy started, "Roses are pink, just like you, how would you like a new rose to play with you?"

"Ah," the man stated, understanding. "Expecting a little one, eh?" Amy blushed. She found it weird that this stranger knew about the new family member before Sonic.

"Yep," she shyly answered. "I want to tell each of my kids in a different way, and my husband as well."

"Well you definitely came to the right place," the man replied, and she could picture his grin. "What will the other six be, Ma'am?"

"Um…" Amy again pondered her options; thinking of what she would want Flash to see. "Have another one say, 'You've always hated being the youngest, but not anymore. Pretend for a moment you're a big brother.'"

"You're doing wonderful," the man commented. "The other five?"

* * *

Sonic came home that night with a grin on his face, like normal, and he opened his arms wide at his children's greetings.

"Dada, guess wha'?" Rose started.

"Dad, I ran a whole mile toda'!" Dash cried out proudly.

"Kitty did something real funny today, Daddy," Violet stated, giggling.

Sonic chuckled and lifted an excited Flash up his shoulders, commenting to his children's apparent fun day as he made his way towards Amy, who stood not too far away, smiling. Usually she was in the kitchen when he arrived home, so he had a feeling they were all going out tonight. Often, that was a handful; taking six active kids and themselves out to dinner _would_ be hard.

"Hey, Ames." He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, and pulled away when he heard Kyler and Violet shrieking of happiness, and Dash sticking out his tongue, muttering something about it being disgusting under his breath. Flash, impatient, slipped down his father's shoulders back to the ground, still chattering away. Amy smirked at Sonic, not feeling any pity for him as the kids continued surrounding him.

"We goin' out tonight?" he questioned in between the children's comments.

"No, I ordered Chinese tonight," Amy replied, her eyes shining brighter than usual. Sonic smiled, confused.

"Not up for making supper tonight?"

"Mmm, sure." Amy giggled, and side-stepped the six children as she headed towards the dining room table, which she was setting. "Kyler, Violet, why don't you come back and help Mom set the table?" Amy suggested, leaving Sonic with the younger four kids, much to the blue hedgehog's relief.

About an hour later, the delivery man arrived, and Sonic answered the door. Grinning at the food, for he was really starting to get hungry, he quickly paid the man and shut the door, taking the food to the table.

"Time to eat, everyone!" he called, and within a minute the family all sat down in their seats, sniffing hungrily at the steaming rice.

"Flash, down boy," Sonic joked as he gently set his son back in his seat, grinning.

After a quick prayer, the family dug in, the kids chatting away so much that the parents hardly got any words of their own days in the conversation. But that was just fine with Amy, her day having been spent on the phone.

Finally, the family turned to their fortune cookies. Amy grinned evilly, unknown to the others as she watched the family read their fortunes.

"Ky, wha' i' say?" Nick cried, as he opened his, as did the other two of the set of triplets. Kyler took Nick's fortune and read it out loud to her brother.

"You love our big family, it's clear to see, how 'bout adding another?" Kyler blinked, confused and turned to Nick, who looked just as lost.

"Hey, listen to mine!" Dash cried, waving his fortune up in the air. "It says, 'You zoom through the hills every other day; your help will be needed at home in a short time.'" Dash paused. "I don't like the sounds of this." Amy laughed to herself, and Kyler turned to her own fortune.

"Well," Kyler started, "Mine says, 'You're the oldest in the family, you're such a good sister, we thought you'd be fine if we added another.'"

"'You love your siblings so well, we're both so proud, would you mind loving just one more?' is what mine says," Violet announced, blinking a few times. "This is weird. They all sound so alike."

"Yeah," Kyler replied slowly, in deep thought. "An' Rose and Flash's fortune's seemed pretty alike too."

Everyone turned to the head of the house then, who sat in his chair quietly, staring down at his own fortune, seeming to have read something unbelievable.

"What's yours say, Daddy?" Dash asked. Sonic blinked, quickly registering back into the real world.

"It says," Sonic began, his eyes shining for some unknown reason, "'You're such a good father, they love you so much, hope you don't mind, the grocery bill's about to go higher from your favorite stuff.'"

"Huh?" the six children all said at once, and Amy chuckled and looked at a dumbfounded blue hedgehog across from her.

"Seriously?" Sonic asked. "_More crackers_? We just got rid of them all from the last pregnancy!" Amy laughed, joyous tears striking her eyelids, and she shrugged.

"Hey, a women's allowed to love her crackers."

"And fortune cookies, I suppose," Sonic teased, and he got up from his seat, ran over to his wife, and hugged her lovingly, kissing her forehead a thousand times.

"Is anybody-e else con'used?" Dash asked no one in particular, and the other children all shrugged. They had not a clue what was going on.


	13. Managing

List: Silverdawn2010, Jaydan the Hedgehog, Koollolly, Hokuto Ulrik, Sonic5521, Zeldaskeeper, Sonamy Lover, SonamyRules159, IHeartSonAmy, GodsSonicGirl, and Lupus Silvae!

Well! Looks like you guys all enjoyed the last chapter as much as I did. Thanks so much, once again, for the reviews guys! I love them so much. Anywho, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter thirteen

Managing

She hated days like these.

It was overwhelming more often than not, she realized sadly. She liked to believe that her family was always obedient and polite and perfect. But, on days like these, she could hardly even remember that the sun was shining. It was on days like these that Kyler sulked in her corner, Violet wouldn't stop talking, Dash and Flash broke things from their running through the house, Rose had temper problems, Nick didn't help, Samantha kept crying for a bottle…

And of course, Sonic was no where in sight.

She knew she was about to snap. And she hated snapping at her kids. Ever since she learned that yelling at Cream hurt her friend, so many years back, she had promised herself that she would try not to yell at her kids. Of course, the promise was broken a few times. How could she keep herself from not screaming at Dash to stop running through the house all the time?

Kyler and Sonic were the only ones in the family that could tell when Amy had just about reached her limit. But Kyler wasn't noticing today, and Sonic had another two hours of work.

So she was alone.

"Hey, Mom, guess what?" five year old Violet chatted, following after her mother where ever she went. Amy forced herself to keep calm. After all, Violet was a natural chatter box. She only wanted to talk, and who was she to deprive her daughter of talking when Kyler wasn't in the mood to listen? But still, her smile towards her daughter didn't reach her eyes, her eyes that were so tired…

"Mommy!" Nick suddenly screeched, and Amy cringed. "Sam-e won't sto' cryin'!" Amy sighed, and put down the plate she was washing.

"Violet, can you please go get your sister?" Amy asked wearily, as she dried her moist hands on a towel. Violet blinked, confused.

"But, Mom," she started, "ya told me not to pick her up without you or Daddy." Amy felt like crying. She _had_ told her that.

"Oh, right." Amy's gentle reply was forced. "Alright then. Um, I'll be right back, okay, honey?"

"I'll go with you!" Violet persisted, grinning. Amy inwardly groaned as she made her way towards Samantha's room.

"No, that's alright, honey," she replied. "Why don't you try and get Kyler out of her mood? You're really good at it." Violet frowned.

"But, I was in the middle of a story with you, Mommy."

"Yes, you were," Amy answered, remembering slightly the story about Kitty catching a dragonfly. "But I might be a minute. Why don't you tell me in a little bit?"

"Mommy!" This time it was Dash screaming. "Mom, she won't quit! The runt keeps crying!"

"Dash, how many times have I told you not to call Samantha 'the runt'?" Amy called back through gritted teeth. She ignored Violet, who hadn't left, much to the pink hedgehog's dismay, and headed into the baby's room, where Samantha lay in her crib, crying her heart out.

"Honey…" Amy sighed as she picked up her three month old daughter, jiggling her in her arms, trying to calm herself and the baby down. Often, it would work, and Samantha would stop crying, and would smile up at her mother, whose heart would immediately melt and turn from impatience to love in an instant. But Samantha wasn't in the mood to corporate. None of the children were.

"Violet," a voice at the doorway suddenly ordered, "go to your sister, alright? Mommy needs some time alone."

"But-"

"She's tired, honey. Please go."

And just like that, Violet shuffled out of the room, leaving Amy alone with the baby, and Sonic. Blinking, Amy stared up at her husband, confused.

"You're home early," she stated, aware of Samantha's cries for attention getting louder. Sonic stepped closer and took the baby out of Amy's arms, and Amy hardly noticed as the blue hedgehog headed towards the changing station.

"Tails let me off early," he replied nonchalantly. "It was a slow day. Decided I'd pop in 'fore going on a run." Amy nodded slowly, understanding. "I can take the boys off your hands, if they're not grounded, that is." The blue hedgehog turned to his wife, smirking gently as he jiggled Samantha with her fresh diaper.

"I was too tired to ground them," Amy answered truthfully, smiling sheepishly. Sonic chuckled and put Samantha back in her crib momentarily as he walked over to his wife and took her hands in his, rubbing the back of them with his thumb gently. Amy sighed, feeling calmer than she had felt all day, and allowed herself to be pulled into a hug from Sonic.

"I don't know how you manage it," Sonic whispered into her ear lovingly. "Seven kids plus a cocky husband is already a handful. And two of those kids are way too wild for their own good." He pulled back slightly, smirking into her relaxed gaze.

"They get it from you, you know," Amy murmured. "Thanks for passing it on." Sonic chuckled again and kissed her quickly before pulling back, his hand still lingering with hers.

"What? I thought you'd appreciate having two more me's," he teased, his eyes dancing. Lifting up Amy's hand, he kissed it, his eyes on his wife as he again pulled away. "I'll go take the two on a run. Can't really get rid of the others though, but I'll try an' tell them to give you some space." He winked at her and turned towards the door. "Love ya." And he walked out of the room, forcing himself unknown to Amy to be a good example and to _not_ _run_ out of the room.

Amy smiled and sighed happily, shaking her head from side to side in disbelief. It was days like these that she loved Sonic the most. And, when she realized she loved her family the most too. After all, what would her life be like without any of them?

He was such a good father and husband, she noted, as she turned back to Samantha, who was gurgling happily in her crib by now, not crying. And sometimes, she thought with a smile, she didn't know how he managed it.

* * *

So I know it's kind of weird to read about Amy wanting her kids to disappear. But hey, imagine being a parent for a minute. Wouldn't you get tired of having kids at your heels every second? I find it bad enough just listening to a five year old go on and on about something they did in their day. I mean, it's cute, but it can get old…

Anyway, so thank you all for reading this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you guys all still love the fan-kids. They can't always be perfect, you know. But anyway, I have a poll for this story up on my profile, asking which two characters I should write about together next for this story. I'd really appreciate it if you'd go vote! Thanks again for reading!

~Ksonic~


	14. The Snowy Night

List: IHeartSonAmy, Zeldaskeeper, Koollolly, Silverdawn2010, Sonic5521, GodsSonicGirl and, Thymistacles!

Thanks for the reviews and poll votes, everyone! I really enjoyed them!

So, considering my poll. The two characters that won (I was going to wait until I had ten poll votes, but I just couldn't wait. Besides, I love this idea!) were Kyler and "Uncle" Tails. After a bit of thinking, I managed this chapter. Hope you enjoy, and onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter fourteen

The Snowy Night

It started late in the night.

The child awoke to the voices, voices that were sometimes loud, and sometimes soft. Wishing to go back to sleep, the child rolled over in her crib, and grabbed her thumb to suck on, one of her only comforts when alone in the middle of the night.

The voices started getting louder, and the child wearily opened her eyes, noting almost immediately that the hallway light was on, for she could see a bit of light underneath the crack in her door. Blinking, the girl looked over at her younger sister, who slept soundly in her own crib a few feet away. Violet had always been the heavy sleeper, unless of course she awoke, screaming for a bottle from one of their parents. But Kyler had always been a light sleeper. Hence the reason she was even up to hear the commotion outside of the girls' shared bedroom.

Yawning, Kyler forced herself into a sitting-up position, and then stood quickly when she heard a slight yelp from somewhere outside. The child stiffened; that yelp had sounded like her mother's.

"Mama?" Kyler called quietly, alarmed. "Mama?" She called a bit louder this time.

She had only heard that kind of yelp once before, and that was when her parents had mysteriously come home with Violet. And she remembered being told that another baby would be brought home soon. But the word "baby" confused the poor child. Violet hadn't been a baby, had she? She had been Violet!

Another yelp, a hushed whisper, and suddenly Kyler could hear the garage opening. Her eyes widened. They were doing it again! They were abandoning her, just like they had when Violet came into the picture two years ago.

"Mama!" She screamed out her mother's name this time, hoping to get someone's attention before it was too late, before they left her and her sister. "Mommy! Daddy!"

But no one came.

The young child reduced to silent tears, realizing that she really didn't want to disturb Violet and get her all riled up too.

She couldn't believe this. They were leaving her. All Kyler really wanted was someone to be with her consistently, but she had never seemed to have it. At first, she thought she could trust her parents. But they just kept leaving her. And somehow, she felt she had been left behind before in life, making this separation from her parent's even harder.

The door suddenly began opening, and Kyler lurched herself forward in her crib, her tiny hands grabbing hold of the bars that separated her from the outside world. Never had she hated the bars more than this.

"Mama?" she called out hopefully, and then the whole door opened.

"No, no, honey," a soft voice assured her. A kitsune stepped into the dark room, smiling softly.

"Unca Taols'?" the child asked, surprised. The two-tailed fox only nodded and stepped forward.

"Hey…" His voice was soft and assuring, and the child almost wondered if it was safe to go back to sleep with him here. "Hey, girl, what're you doing up right now?"

"I heard 'em 'eaving," she replied, her tears resuming at the thought. "Thwey weft. Ageen."

"No, Kyler," Tails replied, and he gently picked the scared child out of her crib. Glancing down at Violet's crib, he quickly realized that the child was sound asleep, and he tip-toed out of the room, Kyler in his arms. "They aren't leaving you," he continued, once they were safely out of the bedroom. "They're just going to the hospital. You know how your Mom's expecting another baby?" Kyler nodded. She knew about it, but she still wasn't all that sure what this mysterious baby was supposed to be. "Well, the baby wanted to come out tonight," Tails said. "So your Mommy and Daddy just had to leave for a little while. That's all."

"A wittle while," the child echoed, and Tails nodded, smiling as he set his niece down on the couch near a window.

"Uh-huh," he explained gently. "They're only gonna be gone for a bit. And then they'll come home with a new baby brother or sister for you and Violet. How does that sound?"

"Baby…?" Kyler's voice was hesitant. Tails blinked, confused.

"Yeah, honey," he answered. "A baby. You know…Violet was one. Still is."

"But…" Kyler sounded confused and Tails let out a low sigh. This would be fun. He had never been good at explaining things. "But, Vi-wet is…Vi-wet."

"Yes, she is Violet," Tails agreed. "But she is also a baby."

"Ya cannot be two ''ings a' once!" Kyler retorted, folding her small arms across her chest, staring stubbornly back at Tails. The fox stumbled with his next words.

"Well, erm…Yeah, you're right about that, but, well…" The fox sighed angrily at himself. When Sonic had called him earlier, telling him to watch the girls for the night, he hadn't been expecting Kyler to be up and confused. "Um, but, Kyler, Violet didn't always have her name, Violet," the fox said. "Remember? We named her in the hospital, and you were right there with everyone and looking at your sister."

"Yeah, she did. She's alweeeys been Vi-wet."

"Um…how 'bout this," the fox suggested. "The word "sister". What's that mean to you?"

"I' mean I am big sister." Kyler's frown was enough to send Tails' mind into frenzy mode. The kid just wasn't getting it!

"Yeah, but the individual word, sister. You're a sister to Violet, right?" The girl nodded, looking bored as she stared out the window, where soft rain fell gently to the ground. "And, you're going to be a sister to someone new, soon."

"But…" Kyler turned back to her Uncle. "Unca Taols', am I gettin' anoother Vi-wet?"

"Kind of," Tails replied. "But it'll be younger. And it'll have a different, erm, attitude. It might look different too. And it's called a baby."

"I''s name is Baby?"

"Yeah, until we give it a new name."

A silence fell between Kyler and Tails, and the fox sighed, glad to see the child at least for now was out of questions.

"They'll be back in a wittle while?" Her voice startled the fox for a moment, and then he turned to his niece.

"Yes, a little while. Hey, you want some hot chocolate?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically, her first smile of the evening playing on her lips. Tails smiled back. "Alright. I'll go make some."

Ten minutes later, a small fire had been started in the fire place, the rain had turned to snow, and the hedgehog child and fox sat on the couch, sipping their hot chocolate while staring out the frosted window.

"Unca Taols'?" the child suddenly asked between sips of her hot chocolate. "Can ya tell me the story of how Iz get here?" The fox nodded, and he set down his warm drink on the coffee table. Kyler set hers down as well, and before the fox could protest, she had herself wrapped in his arms, and she snuggled into his warm fur. The kitsune blushed. The child was not known for being cuddly. Violet was, but even then, Tails couldn't remember a time when either of his nieces had asked for a story from him, and snuggled into him. He bit his lip, telling himself to act normal, and he began the story.

"It was a snowy night, much like tonight," the fox began. "The wind was much angrier though. And you were outside in it, in a very small basket. You had no blankets."

"How bigg waz I?" the child interrupted, staring into the fox's blue eyes.

"This big." The fox motioned her small size with his hands, and the child raised her arms and put her hands in Tails', trying to get a picture of it herself. She blinked in surprise.

"I was so smaell!" she cried out, shocked, and Tails chuckled as he lowered his hands and Kyler's while he was at it.

"Yes," he continued. "You were very small. A lot of us were worried about you."

* * *

Dawn was approaching when the phone suddenly rang, and Tails groggily reached for the phone he had placed on the coffee table hours earlier, in case the awaited phone call came sooner rather than later.

"Hello?" he asked tiredly, yawning.

"He's here," Sonic proud voice said anxiously. "Dash the Hedgehog. He looks just like me and he's already showing signs of being able to run like me and he's real small but not as small as Violet was, and he's…" Tails smiled, chuckling within. Staring down in his lap, he was a bit surprised to see Kyler silently resting there, her small thumb in her mouth as she sighed in her sleep. Slowly, Tails remembered the night before, when he had tried to explain the word baby to the child, and when he had told the girl's story over a cup of hot chocolate. A parent-like love washed over the kitsune, and he reached out and stroked the child's quills.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Sonic suddenly started. "How'd the kids do last night? They asleep the whole time?"

"Violet did," Tails practically whispered, hoping not to disturb his niece that he knew was a light sleeper. "But Kyler was awake before you had even left. I made some hot chocolate. She fell asleep pretty quickly afterwards."

"Good," Sonic replied, sounding a bit relived. "Hope she didn't give ya any trouble. She kinda goes crazy if me and Amy aren't nearby." Tails smiled, chuckling softly as he continued gazing at his perfect little niece.

"She wasn't a problem whatsoever," the fox reassured. "She was perfect." The fox vaguely listened to Sonic's spiel over the new son after that. Instead, he glanced at the dying fire not too far away, the fallen blanket of snow outside the window, the now cold cups of hot chocolate, and the sleeping child next to him. And he smiled at the memory.

* * *

Alrighty, so now that I've written about Tails and Kyler, those two options on my poll will be taken off. I would very much appreciate it if you'd vote for the next two characters. Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

~Ksonic~


	15. Just Like Your Father

List: Thymistacles, SpeedAngel9294, DiamondStarz, JasmineMichelle, Koollolly, Jaydan the Hedgehog, Sonic5521, Zeldaskeeper, SonamyRules159, and, IHeartSonAmy!

Thanks a lot for the reviews and votes everyone! I had a lot of fun reading them.

The winners of the poll were…Knuckles and Dash! Haha, I had SO much fun daydreaming this one out. Thanks for voting everyone! Anywho, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter fifteen

Just Like Your Father

He should've expected this.

Really, he should've. But when Dash had been born ten years ago, the echidna had thought little of it. Sure, the boy had inherited Sonic's speed, but as far as Knuckles was concerned, the boy, in no way whatsoever was going to inherit Sonic's carefree attitude.

How wrong he was.

At first, he tried to ignore the fact that every time he saw Dash, the blue hedgehog was turning more and more into a miniature Sonic. And, Knuckles had never really _enjoyed_ Sonic's company, especially when on Angel Island, when guarding the Master Emerald.

But he couldn't ignore the fact anymore, for Dash had taken it upon himself to visit his "uncle" on Angel Island at least once a month (less than Sonic had used to do, but still, it could get rather annoying). Thankfully, the other kids hadn't reached the age when they realized annoying their favorite uncle was fun. No, only Dash had figured that out. But the boy caused enough grief anyway.

Today looked like a good day though, to the red echidna, and when he woke up he allowed himself a shallow smile. The sky was blue, the flowers were in full bloom, and the Master Emerald was extremely bright today (for he had spent all day polishing it yesterday). He sighed happily, expecting this day to be a relaxing one.

"Hey, Uncle Knux!"

A groan passed the echidna's lips. Oh great. His relaxing day had just turned into a nightmare.

"Knuckles!" A sudden wind rushed around the temple, and when it stopped Knuckles realized that a certain small blue hedgehog was hugging him, and he pulled away from the youngster, a frown on his face.

"Hey, Dash." He tried to sound calm and collected. He tried to pretend he didn't mind seeing his nephew here. Really, he didn't hate his nieces or nephews. He just found them annoying sometimes, like many little kids. "What's up?"

"Nothin'," the blue hedgehog replied, and he plopped down on the ground next to his uncle, by the Master Emerald.

"Just decided to go on a run?" The boy smirked, a detestable smirk, for it matched Sonic's.

"Why not?" the blue hedgehog replied. "The wind was callin' my name." The boy turned to Knuckles, grinning widely as an idea formed in his mind. "Hey, let's play a game!"

"A game?" The echidna tried to keep the groan out of his voice, but he was sure the hedgehog had heard it anyway. Dash stood up, looking around anxiously.

"Yeah," he replied happily. "Let's have a race."

"You know I'd lose," the echidna growled, closing his eyes, hoping the boy would take a hint.

"I could let you win."

"What's the point of racing if you already know who the winner will be?" Knuckles asked, and he opened one eye, staring at the kid with a look that he hoped meant, 'leave me alone'. But of course, even if the boy had seen the look, he'd stay.

"Fine," Dash answered. "We could play…tag! Yeah! Let's play tag, Uncle Knux!"

"It's Knuckles, not Knux," the echidna snapped. "And no, let's not. I can already see the outcomes."

"Oh, what would they be?" the hedgehog asked, grinning.

Knuckles groaned and stood up, facing the emerald.

"Kid, I got work to do."

"That's what every grown-up says," Dash whined, huffing. "Except Dad. He almost always had time for us kids."

"Oh I'm sure," Knuckles muttered sarcastically under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he replied casually. "Hey, I know what we could play." The blue hedgehog's eyes lit up.

"Really?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," the scarlet one replied. "Let's play, 'I spy'. I'll go first. 'I spy a small, annoying, carefree, speedy, cocky-"

"Oh, is it me?" the boy cried, jumping up and down in excitement. "Geez, thanks Uncle Knux! But, I've already had those names thrown at me. Can't you be a bit more…oh, I don't know, original?" Knuckles growled under his breath. This wasn't working.

"Hey, is it my turn?" Knuckles sighed and nodded, seeing that there was no way he was going to get out of this game now. "Okay, let me see…" The child stared, and he put a hand underneath his chin, looking around the small temple. "I spy, with my little eye, a big ol' dumb rock."

"IT IS NOT A DUMB ROCK!" Knuckles roared, his patience running thin. "It's the Master Emerald and it's very important and one more comment like that mister and you're oughta here!"

"Well, how're ya gonna make me leave?" the child asked, looking not at all worried. He smirked at his uncle, and rubbed his nose cockily, a trait he must've received from Sonic. Knuckles grimaced.

"Hey, let's play a different game," Dash suddenly piped up. "This one's boring."

"Okay…" Knuckles replied, defeated. And then an idea struck him. "Hey, how 'bout we play Hide and-Go Seek?" Dash gasped.

"Hey," he started, "that's a wonderful idea! I love that game! I always win! Uh, I mean, well…yeah, great game. Let's play!" Knuckles forced himself not to smirk. This would work!

"Alright, I'll count, and you'll hide," Knuckles said. "An-"

"Hey!" Dash interrupted, his grin huge, "Could we hide the Master Emerald?"

Silence.

"I mean…" Dash started awkwardly, grinning sheepishly. "Sometimes when we play at home, Dad let's us hide the chaos emeralds…so I thought-"

"No, you may not hide the Master Emerald!" Knuckles screamed, shaking the temple slightly. Dash giggled. "What do you think I'm doing with it here anyway?"

"Dad says you're in love with it."

"Well, maybe I am," Knuckles retorted. "But I will not have my emerald taken away! It is my duty to guard it-"

"Yeah, yeah, from anything or anyone who might steal it, and to polish it and to talk to it like it's alive…we get it Knux."

"I told you not to call me that," Knuckles growled, resisting the urge to injure the kid. He knew that if it were Sonic, the blue hedgehog would already have a broken nose. And then he realized that the kid was already a good part Sonic. Oh, the irony.

"Hmm, whateve," the blue hedgehog suddenly said. "I'll go hide." Knuckles let out a sigh of relief. Finally, some cooperation!

"Good. I'm going to start counting now." He turned to the Master Emerald, and rested his head against it, as he slowly began to mumble the numbers.

_Oh please, let this work…_

A sudden gust of wind, and Knuckles turned slightly to see the boy gone, finding a hiding spot somewhere on the island. Knuckles laughed softly. Had the boy really expected Knuckles to come find him? After all, that would mean he'd have to leave the Master Emerald, which he would never do. Sighing contently, the red echidna put a hand on the glowing emerald, smiling at it warmly, before he sank down to his spot near the emerald. Yawning, he closed his eyes. Here, he thought, was his promised relaxing day.

And then, just as he was about to fall into a light catnap, the wind was blowing harder, and a scream could be heard.

"Uncle Knuckles! Knux, guess what?" The voice sounded urgent, almost like the child was in danger, and Knuckles immediately awoke, staring around the temple in a half asleep manner.

"What is it, Dash?" he called. "Are you hurt?"

"Na," a nearby voice suddenly giggled. "But it got ya up, didn't it?" Knuckles sighed, and he turned to the voice to see none other than his nephew.  
"I thought you were hiding," Knuckles snapped. "You have to wait for me to find you 'fore you can leave you're hiding spot!"

Dash shrugged, and it was then that Knuckles noticed that the boy had both hands behind his back. He raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

"I was hidin', but then I ran into something, and…well you weren't lookin' for me anyway."

"How do you know that?"

"'Cause you were asleep here." The blue hedgehog smirked. "But anyway, look what I found!" Suddenly the boy brought his hands out from behind him, and Knuckles screamed in alarm. Quickly, the echidna bolted forward and knocked the venomous snake out of the youngster's hand, pulling the boy away.

"Hey, Uncle Knux!" the boy whined, pulling out of his uncle's strong grip. "What's wrong? It's only a lil' gardener snake!"

"No it isn't," Knuckles whispered softly, staring at the snake with fear. Dash raised an eyebrow and started giggling.

"No, it ain't Uncle Knux. See, look. Dad and I have picked up snakes just like this one. They're all green and small." Knuckles stared at the kid, and then at the snake, and then back at Dash, who looked at his uncle with question. Slowly, the snake got over its alarm and slithered away, and Knuckles suddenly realized that the boy was right.

"Well," Knuckles started, keeping the fear out of his voice. "Maybe you were right."

"Maybe?"

"But it's gone now, anyway. Now, why don't you slither away while you're at it?" Dash frowned and put his arms across his chest.

"You don't like company, do ya?" the boy asked softly. "Here I am, tryin' to be a good nephew, and you just push me away!"

"Oh, will you stop it with the guilt treatment?" Knuckles exclaimed, raising his hands up in the air with exasperation. "You're just like you're father, you know that? Just like him! And it's bad enough dealing with one!"

"Aw, now, don't say that," Dash replied cockily, not at all hurt by his Uncle's words. "Ya love Dad. Otherwise, why would you put up with being called Uncle all the time? And why would ya come to Thanksgiving and Christmas with us and Tails' family? Huh?"

Knuckles sighed and shook his head.

"Can't I just have one day of peace?" he questioned the sky, and Dash smirked.

"You have peace too much, Dad says. Dad's glad I come here and talk with ya. He says ya need someone to talk to. Otherwise, he says, you'd turn into a hermit."

"Which would be just fine with me," Knuckles muttered, and Dash rolled his eyes playfully.

Suddenly, a natural gust of wind made Dash look up hopefully. Grinning, the boy turned back to his uncle.

"Well, it's been fun, Unc, but the wind's callin'. Later." The boy started revering up, and then he stopped suddenly, turned to his uncle, and hugged him. Surprised, the echidna blinked in confusion, but before he could even say anything, the blue hedgehog pulled away, revered up again, and left, just as suddenly as he had come, with the wind.

Sighing with relief, the echidna sank to the ground again, tired, glad to have some peace, finally. But as he closed his eyes there was a smile on his lips.

* * *

Well, it didn't turn out like I'd hoped, but, oh well…anyway, so now Dash and Knux will be taken off the list. Since you can only seem to vote on the poll once, I'm going to have to remake the poll…meaning I'm going to need your old and new votes back. Sorry 'bout that…anyway, thanks for reading, and don't forget to vote for the next characters! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

~Ksonic~


	16. The Perfect Day

List: SpeedAngel9294, Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23, Zeldaskeeper, IHeartSonAmy, Koollolly, Silverdawn2010, Thymistacles, GodsSonicGirl, Sonic5521, SonamyRules159, GalexiatheChao, and Lupus Silvae!

No! Don't kill me! I'm sorry I haven't updated in like…well, a week and a half. *Lowers imaginary hedgehog ears*. Which, for this story, a week and a half of no updating can be like a year of no updating, am I right? Yes…I iz sorry.

But hey. I had a very hectic week. Anywho…thank you all so much for your reviews, votes, favorites, alerts, whatever! They all mean so much to me…! Let's get this show on the road, eh? The poll's winners were Amy and Cream! Now, I have to admit, they were a little hard to write about together, and I'm still not completely for this chapter, but…oh well. Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter sixteen

The Perfect Day

She found herself wishing this exact moment would never end.

But, then again, she found herself thinking that a lot. Because, after all, she did have a lot of joy in her life, what a wonderful family and marvelous friends.

Everything was perfect. Her nose smelled apple pie that sat between her and her best friend, Cream. Her fingers delicately wiped away some dribble from Rose's small mouth. Her ears trained themselves on Rose and Nick's soft coos, at the laughter Sonic granted their kids not too far away, at Cream's content sigh, at the roar of the waterfall. Her mouth tasted of strawberries and Sonic. And her eyes were rewarded with her children's smiles, her husband's trademark thumbs-up to Dash as he managed to _not_ drown in the ankle-deep water, the waterfall's majestic mist as it fell over two giggling sisters.

Leaning back on the checkered blanket, Amy let out her own sigh, and she smiled happily as she watched the scene unfold. Rose managed to pull herself away from her mother's grip and crawl over to Cream, who held Nick as he squirmed to be let down. Obliging, the rabbit put the six month old down, and she watched as the brother and sister fought over a juicy leftover strawberry not far off.

"Do you remember days like these?" Cream voiced softly, hoping she wasn't ruining the moment.

"Yes." Amy turned to face her friend, her eyes alit, her smile warm and pleasant. "I remember the days when we could have a picnic together once a week."

"Those were the days," Cream sighed, leaning back herself.

"Yes," Amy agreed, "but those days were so often that we didn't appreciate them as much as these."

"That's true," Cream replied, focusing on her young nephew Flash, who was holding Dash's hand as they avoided the waterfall's liquid. She smiled at the sight.

"Don't you just love them?" Amy's voice was soft, almost a whisper. "The boys, I mean. Dash and Flash? Flash can't go anywhere without the other. It's as if they're twins, and yet, Flash belongs with Rose and Nick." She shook her head, chuckling lightly.

"And then there's Kyler and Violet," Cream pointed out. "Sometimes I think they couldn't live without each other. Really, where would Kyler be today without her younger sister? You know?"

"Oh yeah," Amy replied. "I've often wondered what would happen if Kyler wasn't around either."

A comfortable silence fell in between the hedgehog and rabbit, and than Cream spoke up again.

"Do you remember the days when you'd call and tell me that Sonic had _looked_ at you?" Amy giggled at the memory, suddenly embarrassed.

"I was so hopeless back then," she admitted bashfully. "And you put up with so much."

"But you won him in the end," Cream answered, holding a hand up triumphantly. "It all paid off." Amy laughed, and turned to Nick, who had managed to crawl too far away for his own good. She picked him up, settling the anxious child on her lap.

"Do you remember," Amy started, "that one time, when we had a sleepover? And you woke me up at three-thirty, telling me there was a monster outside our room?"

"Yes," Cream giggled, "and it ended up being a tree branch!" A giggling fit broke out between the two of them.

"There was this one time…" Cream started, "when Cheese managed to get lost. You remember that?" Amy groaned at the memory, smiling.

"You've never let him live that down," she replied. "The poor chao."

"Yes, I'm such a terrible owner," Cream teased. "Telling him he can't fly off alone. You yourself won't let Nick two feet from you."

"Well, he's only a baby," Amy explained. "Six months old…" Her voice trailed off. "It feels so much shorter than that. I remember when Sonic was buying crackers for me, and when we fought over names…Six months. I can't believe it." She glanced at young Rose, who wore a smirk similar to Sonic's as she ate the strawberry she had managed to win from Nick a while back.

"They grow up so fast," Cream replied wistfully, and then she laughed. "Oh, listen to us, carrying on as if we've lived our full lives! Why, I'm not even out of college!"

"Which is a very good thing, my friend," Amy answered back, patting her friend's knee. "Because even today when I see you, I see that adorable four year old rabbit, always with her chao, always calling Sonic, _Mr. Sonic_." Cream blushed, giggling.

"Oh stop that…When I see you, I still see the Amy who was always talking of Sonic, and who always had a hammer nearby. What ever happened to it, anyway?"

"It's still around," said Amy. "I just haven't summoned it for a while. Dash has been a good boy the past week."

"And last week?"

"If you had only been there…" The two laughed again, and then settled into another silence, watching as Violet splashed her father, who looked miserable underneath his teasing grin, his coat covered with precipitation he usually tried to avoid.

"He's such a good father," Cream stated. "Always putting the kids and you first." Amy nodded her agreement.

"Yes, and that's one of the main reasons I love him so."

The sound of laughter, a bird's chirp, and a baby's giggle found themselves into the rabbit and hedgehog's ears. And the two smiled simultaneously.

* * *

Don't forget to vote, and thanks for reading!

~Ksonic~


	17. Forgiveness

List: Zeldaskeeper, CyrotheHedgehog, Sonamy Lover, Sonic5521, SonamyRules159, Second Chance 4filled, Therapy Angel, Silverdawn2010, GalexiatheChao, IHeartSonAmy, Darkspine Sonic759, and Docterm!

Wow! 12 reviews! *Squeals with delight*. Thank you everyone who reviews, favorite's, alert's, or even reads this story! It makes me sooo happy…

Anywho, so this chapter was one of the most random inspiration chapters ever. And I'm able to get away with it because I have a two-way tie on my poll right now (hint, hint, nudge, nudge… xD). So I just had to write this. Anywho, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter seventeen

Forgiveness

_Dear Diary,_

_ Day after day, everyone tells me to get over him. "He's not worth the tears," Cream always says, when I call her during a meltdown. "Maybe…maybe he's not the one." _

_ Part of me wanted to yell at Cream when she told me that. Part of me wanted to scream and shout and tell her to take those words back, because someday Sonic _will_ be mine and he is _so_ worth it._

_ But something stopped me. Something made my mouth dry up, made my brain freeze._

_ Some part of me is telling me to get over the blue hedgehog. In fact, it has been this way within myself for a while, but I never allowed myself to think those thoughts. But tonight as I write these words, tears streaming down my face, I can sense my heart shattering, for real this time, as true thoughts about the blue hedgehog suddenly spring up out of me. _

_ I've always told myself that he's perfect. He's kind, cute, cocky yet polite, arrogant yet selfless. His eyes light up the room. His cocky grin makes my knees shake. I've told myself not to notice the way his eyes purposefully avoid me when I run up to him, to not notice when his eyes focus on some other random girl walking down the street with a body like an actress. _

_ Cream advised I make a list of reasons to get over him. She told me it might make the "getting over him" easier on myself, if I have reasons besides the fact that he breaks my heart everyday._

_-He runs from me everyday._

_-He's not in tune with emotions in the slightest._

_-He doesn't even like me._

_-He's…too fast for me._

_My gosh. This is hopeless. Goodnight, dear diary. May tomorrow bring new hope, and not new tears. _

_-Amy Rose_

_

* * *

_The blue hedgehog hadn't expected to find this of all things when Amy had asked him to sort through the attic. He had expected to find dust covered boxes full of junk, like old clothing and photos and what not. But then he had seen the box labeled, "Old journals". And curiosity had gotten the best of him.

Even though he and Amy were married now, for ten years, part of him felt like he was invading her personal life when he'd opened up the old, torn red journal and read a random entry that he had flipped to. And after reading that entry…

With his ears down, the blue hedgehog bit his lip, guilt crowding into his heart. He'd apologized to Amy about his behavior a thousand times before, especially when they had first started dating, and she had assured him that she forgave him, that she was just glad she had won. And he would always smile and quickly change the awkward conversation, pretending assurance, pretending that he completely believed her bright smile as she would grab his hand and gently tug him away from the thoughts she hated to dwell on.

With shaking hands, the blue hedgehog rose from the dusty floor, the notebook still in his hands as he allowed a shiver to run down his spine. Was he supposed to still feel bad about those days, fifteen years ago?

He remembered her list of reasons to get over him as he slowly, slowly, walked down the attic stairs to the living room.

_I did run from her everyday._

He remembered the sentence about Cream telling Amy that maybe he wasn't worth the tears.

_Maybe I'm not._

He remembered the sentence about Amy saying that maybe Cream was _right_.

_Maybe she was right._

"Hey Amy?"

His mouth was moving before he had a chance to right himself, to think through what he was about to say. His ears were still down as he stared at his wife forlornly, handing her the small book, and she took it, looking confused as she put down her own book that she had been reading on the living room couch. Kyler, Violet, and Dash watched TV not too far off, the ten, nine, and seven year old hardly aware of their father as he whispered to their mother two words.

"I'm sorry."

Blinking in a confused manner, Amy stared down at the journal, than at Sonic, than back at the book. Suddenly, her face changed, and her mouth formed and 'o' as she stood up and caressed her husband's face lovingly, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.

"The past is the past," she breathed, tears playing with her eyes, and Sonic reached up a hand and wiped them away, smiling weakly back at her. "Don't dwell on it." The pink hedgehog turned to the three children, now laughing at the TV, and she smiled. "Look what we have now. A family. A strong relationship…" Sonic smiled gently, a look of love and admiration dancing through emerald eyes as he set both of his hands on Amy's cheeks, cupping her face with them.

"You know how much I love you?" Amy giggled softly, not answering, not wanting to as she broke the distance between them, kissing his course lips with her soft lips, running her hands though his quills, and all the time thinking of that one entry she had written long ago, about getting over him.

_Yes. He _was so_ worth all those tears._

_

* * *

_Don't forget to vote for the poll!

~Ksonic~


	18. Time in an Album Part II

List: IHeartSonAmy, Zeldaskeeper, silverdawn2010, SoNiCrOxMaIsOx, SonamyRules159, GodsSonicGirl, GalexiatheChao, ZehHyperactiveAuthor, Sonic5521, and, Flare The Hedgehog!

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I love them all! But alas, now we have a four-way tie in the poll! So ha, I got away with coming up with my own chapter again…well sorta. Actually, this chapter is based off of the song "Time in a Bottle", by Jim Croce, and I first learned of the song in **Shizuku Tsukishima749's** own drabble series "Two Tails and a Blur". Seriously, if you haven't read her story, you're missing out! Go read it! (Well, after you read my chapter, haha). Anywho, so I'll re-make the poll, 'cause that seems to be the only way to do it now, so all of you who have already voted…heh. Go vote again, please? I'll give you some cake…anyway, enough chatter! Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter eighteen

Time in an Album

_ 'If I could save time in a bottle…'_

It seemed to the blue hedgehog, that every parent's worst nightmare was seeing their beloved children grow up. When he was younger, he didn't understand why parents would cry when a child headed off to college, or when I child headed from the first grade to the second, or so on, and so forth.

But he understood now.

It was a simple birthday party, really. Rose, Nick, and Flash were all turning seven, and the whole family was there, as were the Hedgehog family's close friends, like Tails' family.

But as the family and friends all gathered around the dining room table, singing happy birthday to the triplets, the blue hedgehog allowed himself to tune out, just for a second. Glancing first at Rose, he saw for the first time not a four year old, but a maturing little girl, who was growing out of the phase of princesses and growing into the phase of boys. He blinked in surprise, and he watched as her smile increased, a smile that he had always loved, but one he knew a boy would fall for someday, and soon.

He pushed away those negative thoughts of loosing his little girl as he looked next at young Flash, who wore cocky grin. His eyes held vacant space, which the blue hedgehog knew would someday soon be filled in when the boy took up exploring the world by himself. A pain etched its way into the father's heart as he thought that, for he had always gone on runs with the boys. Never had Flash gone further then three miles by himself. Dash had, sure, but Flash hadn't yet broken away from the almost daily runs with his father. And Sonic didn't want his son to stop running with him.

And lastly, just as the song was about to end, he stared at Nick. The boy, embarrassed by all the sudden attention, scratched the back of his neck nervously, one of the few traits that he had actually received from his father. The blue hedgehog bit his lip. Nick, his son. It was sometimes weird to Sonic, having Nick for a son. Even though the child loved exploring and being taken on runs by his father, Nick wasn't as enthralled by adventure as Sonic's other two sons were. He was harder for the blue hedgehog to understand.

But even though there was a vivid space between the father and son, there were days when Sonic couldn't help but smile at young Nick, who had just painted a picture for Amy, or who had just discovered how to say a new hard word. Some days, Sonic would walk into the house and see Nick reading to his younger sister, Samantha, and the blue hedgehog would stop in the doorway, apparently frozen in place, and just _watch_, thinking to himself the whole time on how when Nick got married, he'd be the most patient and wonderful husband and father in the world. He wouldn't even be able to move, because it was that heartwarming, seeing his son act mature and not tease Samantha about being the youngest and put up with her dolls.

"Happy birthday, to Rose, Nick, and Flash!" sang the group loudly. "Happy birthday to you!"

And as the cheers rang out and the three children blew out their candles, Sonic stared down at his three kids, seeing them a year older, seeing them maturing and growing. And he hadn't even seen it before.

Blinking away some sort of unwanted moisture in his eyes, the blue hedgehog looked towards his wife, who stood next to him, Rose blocking them from touching as she and her brother's blew out their seven birthday candles. And a look passed between them. A look that said, 'I understand.' He smiled sadly in her direction, as did she, but the moment was soon lost as Rose turned to Amy, telling her to cut the cake quickly, and Amy chuckled at her daughter, Sonic ruffled her spines, and the two carried on with their responsibilities as they _tried_ tuning back into the world.

_'If I could only save these moments,' _Sonic mused to himself. Flash handed him a piece of chocolate cake. _'If I could spend all day with them…if I could stop time.'_

A warm hand was suddenly in his, and the blue hedgehog didn't even have to look down to know that it was Amy's. Squeezing her soft hand in his course hand, he turned to her slightly, smiling gently, thanking her without words.

"I wish we could save time too," she murmured silently, so that no one could hear, as everyone else, oblivious to the couple, talked and laughed over their cake. "I wish we could save time in a chaos emerald, or a bottle, or…something." He squeezed her hand again, reassuring her, thinking to himself how he wished he could freeze this moment in time too, just like so many others.

Little did the father know, but his teenage daughter was thinking the exact same thing as she snapped a quick photo of the pair, smirked triumphantly, and continued blending into the scene as she melted away into the crowd. A habit of hers.

And as she walked off towards her little brother to wish him a happy birthday for the millionth time (blending in _is_ blending in), she figured this was as close as a person could get to freezing time. This being photography. She smirked to herself. Her parents would thank her someday.

_'…is to save everyday, till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you…' _

_

* * *

_Haha! Anyone catch the reference to drabble 11, Photographs of Love? That's what the last few paragraphs were about, 'case you missed it. Anyway, thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote in the new poll!

~Ksonic~


	19. Brothers

List: Metal the Hedgehog, Sonic5521, SonamyRules159, and GalexiatheChao!

Thanks so much for the reviews and poll votes everyone! They all mean so much to me, and I had a lot of fun coming up with a story for the winners of the poll…Nick and Flash! Two brothers who can hardly be called brothers. Ha. It was fun planning. Let's get to it, eh? Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter nineteen

Brothers

They were completely, absolutely, positively, different. They had no similarities whatsoever. One was quick in speed, one was quick in brains. One was cocky, one was shy. One was adventurous, one was a reader. One was daddy's boy, the other was mama's.

And yet they were triplets, along with their older sister Rose.

When a person knew one, they usually didn't know the other. They were _that_ different. They were in the same class, and yet the two avoided each other like cats avoid dogs. They didn't try to avoid one another, for there was love between them; love that was pained and often not spoken of. But the one was in the popular group, and the other in the nerdy teacher's pet group. So they didn't see each other often anyway.

As kids, the two had been a bit closer. They had enjoyed telling friends and relatives that they were related; that they were part of a set of triples, and they had loved seeing everyone's astonished looks. In fact, there were times when Sonic would wonder if the two brothers would end up like he and Tails had. He had sometimes thought that it might be possible, since Sonic had been the cocky one, like Flash, and Tails the brains, like Nick. But for some reason the two hadn't bonded that way. Instead, they basically knew each other as a random hedgehog that just happened to live in the same home as themselves.

Amy blamed it on peer-pressure whenever Sonic brought it up. She seemed to think that Flash, at some point or another while in his elementary years, had learned that if he wanted to be in "the cool group," he'd have to ditch his weird brother somewhere along the line. And he had. It had been a slow process. But now the two were strangers. Hardly worth anything to each other.

And then seventh grade started.

Again, no one knew when it all started. Maybe it was at the beginning of the middle school years, when neither had any of their old friends with them anymore, and Flash had given in to Rose when she'd asked if he'd sit with them at lunch, and had sat with her and Nick for the first week of school. Maybe it was when during the first semester of seventh grade, Flash decided his cool friends weren't that cool for teasing every single nerd, including his own brother. Maybe it was when Nick and Flash were forced to work together on a group project, and Nick wouldn't take Flash not helping out for an answer.  
But whatever the reason, there came a day when Sonic watched the triplets all get off the bus together, the boys actually laughing with one another, and Rose rolling her eyes, probably thinking "typical boys" in her mind as she stalked towards the house. And a flashback of his own relationship with his brother Manic popped into the blue hedgehog's mind as he watched the brothers, _together_, teasing Rose. Usually, he would've told them to stop. But there was something in Nick's eyes that told the father to let the boys be boys. There was something in Flash's own smirk that made Sonic smile instead of frown.

The two, who were totally different, where acting like _brothers_. Real brothers. Genuine brothers. And when Rose came in, complaining to her father a minute later, the only thing the father could say to her was,

"Hey, at least they're acting like brothers for once, eh?" And just as the rose hedgehog was about to huff at her father's obvious care-free attitude, the preteen stopped midstride. Turning back to her father, she stared out the window, watching the brothers talk like best friends in the driveway, watching Nick actually smile and open up, watching Flash treat his older brother by five minutes as an _equal_. And the girl laughed, a bit bitterly.

"Heh, you're right," she agreed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Couldn't they come up with another way to relate though?" Sonic chuckled, pulling his daughter close and ruffling her spines.

"Maybe they will someday," he mused. "They both play an instrument, you know. Drums and guitar. Maybe they'll make up a song about how to tease a sister." Rose rolled her eyes, groaning as she pulled away from her father, and Sonic merely smirked at her as she walked off. Turning back to the scene on the other side of the window, he watched as his two different sons continued talking, Nick's lips moving this time as he probably talked about some scientific term Flash didn't understand. And instead of looking bored, the younger of the two was actually listening. Another flashback found its way into Sonic's mind, one of Tails telling him how to power the Blue Typhoon with the Master Emerald, and he smiled as he realized that the two were acting like he and Tails, so long ago. And he thought that wouldn't happen, not after elementary school at least. Chuckling, the hedgehog turned from the brotherly scene. Change had never felt so heartwarming.


	20. The Meaning of Fatherhood

List: Therapy Angel, Shizuku Tsukishima749, Silverdawn2010, Zeldaskeeper, Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23, Sonic5521, IHeartSonAmy, and GalexiatheChao!

Thanks for sticking with me guys! I am SO sorry for taking so stinking long with this next chapter! And, the horror! I couldn't for the life of me come up with a drabble for Tia and Rose, like you guys wanted *hangs head in defeat*. I thought and thought…but nothing good came. And after about, what, three weeks of not updating this story, I was getting fluff-deprived. I _had_ to update tonight. So alas, hopefully the next chapter will be Tia and Rose. And besides, this drabble seemed to be a good one for number 20. Sorry everyone! Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty

The Meaning of Fatherhood

If anyone had asked Sonic twenty years ago if he would someday have a seven kids, four being girls, and three being boys, he would've laughed and laughed, grin widely and answer,

"Heck no."

But that was twenty years ago.

In the current time, the blue hedgehog was sitting down on the living room floor, having a tea party.

Again, twenty years ago, Sonic wouldn't have been able to sit still long enough for a five year old to share imaginary tea and "rainbow cookies" with him and her stuffed toys. He would've been zooming through the hills, laughing, racing the hawk, being reckless as he'd jump off a cliff, hollering the whole time. But then he became a father.

Father. The word father had confused the hedgehog when he had first become one, eleven years ago, when Kyler had showed up on Amy's doorstep. The baby had been fragile, helpless…two words that Sonic had never experienced. Sure, he had helped the fragile and the helpless, but they had always at least told him what they wanted. They hadn't just cried there eyes out in the middle of the night. So the mere thought of being a father, helping the youngster on its feet, teaching the child manners that he had often lacked…

One word:

Scary.

By the time Violet was being thought of, Sonic had finally managed to get used to the idea of having Kyler. He had finally decided that being a father of the young girl wasn't all that bad. She could be fun. Even enjoyable. But he hadn't been expecting another one, followed so closely after adopting Kyler. And until Violet was born, the hedgehog had been scared out of his mind. One kid was already hard enough to deal with, even if she was fun. But two? _Two_ kids yelling and screaming in the middle of the night? _Two_ kids pulling at him and begging for attention? The thought made him shiver.

And as he thought of all of these things, Sonic was vaguely aware of young Samantha pouring some water into his tea cup, humming a merry tune as she turned to her stuffed animals' cups, giggling at some comment a toy had supposedly made. He smiled at her, watching her little hands reach out for each individual cup, thinking to himself how much of a miracle this child was; how much of a miracle they _all_ were.

"Daddy?" The child turned to him, a silly little grin on her muzzle. "Daddy, would you like some more tea?" The hedgehog grinned and nodded, lifting his cup up for her.

"I'd love some more," he played along, winking, and the child giggled. It was so easy to make her happy, Sonic realized. Just like Amy. All the kid really wanted was some love and attention.

And wasn't that what fathers were for? To give love and attention, especially for the girls? Weren't they supposed to tell the girls how pretty they looked as children, how beautiful as teenagers, how remarkable as adults?

Yes, Sonic had figured after the first few years of parenthood that that was indeed what a father was to do. For some reason, the blue hedgehog had caught on pretty quickly on his job role too. Sometimes his mother in-law congratulated him for always making an effort to be there for his family. Sure, he hadn't outgrown some of his childish antics, like running as fast as possible, and sometimes when he wasn't in check with himself, he'd be jumping off a cliff, screaming at the top of his lungs and grinning.

Long ago, the thought of not having as much free time for running scared the heck out of him. But today…

Today something was holding him back. Today he found himself somewhat wanting to stay and act naïve and girlish with his daughter, who was growing up way too fast. Today was different.

"Oh!" Samantha suddenly cried, looking up in alarm. "We're out of tea! Don't worry, everybody, I'll go get some more! You can all just stay here an' mingle, 'k? Don't leave, Daddy." Sonic laughed.

"I won't, hon," he replied as she got up and skipped off into the kitchen for some more water. He watched her leave, a permanent smile on his face _and_ heart. He loved the girl, he realized. He loved all of them, more than life itself. That's how a father was supposed to think, he thought, proud of himself.

A small noise from behind attracted his attention, and the hedgehog turned to the living room entrance, where Amy stood, smiling at him in a joking manner.

"You having fun?" she teased, giggling. She sauntered up to him, bending down onto the ground next to him and hugging him. He hugged her back.

"'Course I am," he replied when she pulled away, and he kissed her gently on the forehead. "'M having the time of my life."

"Really?" she questioned sarcastically. "I had _no_ idea." Sonic laughed.

"Of course ya didn't," he answered. "I'm usually such a terrible Dad. No time for the kids and their tea parties." Amy giggled once more, than her face turned serious.

"You're a good Dad…" she whispered, snuggling into his warmth. "You know that? You're always able to put up with their silly antics like this."

"So can you."

"But you're a male," Amy quipped teasingly. "Males don't like girly things."

"Who's to say I'm not different?" It was Amy's turn to laugh.

"Me," she replied, her face in his chest, his head on hers. "You've never been one for girlish things." She glanced up at him then. "But you do a great job faking it."

Face flushed, Sonic turned away from her, and Amy giggled.

"I have fun playin' around," Sonic insisted, and Amy squeezed him for a second and then let go as Samantha suddenly bounded back into the room.

"I know," she called, as she left the room for Sonic and Samantha. The child turned to her father, about to speak. "You're still a good Dad."

Samantha began chattering again, and Sonic was forced to turn back to her. But just before he did, he smiled at his wife, glad to finally hear her say it. He could hear Tails and Barbara and Howard tell him he was a good Dad. But Amy's opinion was what mattered the most.

"Did ya know I love ya, Daddy?" Samantha randomly asked, making Sonic blink in surprise. But then he smiled at her lovingly, ruffling her spines.

"Love ya too, kid."


	21. Shooting Star

List: Zeldaskeeper, IHeartSonAmy, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, Therapy Angel, Sonic5521, and Silverdawn2010!

AHG. This took way too long. I've had the idea for a while, but it never turned out right 'till today. Anyway, thanks for those who are still reviewing! I'll see if I can start updating this more regularly now…Anyway, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-one

Shooting Star

If Rose had to narrow down all the pleasures in her life, the four year old would probably say ice cream, family, and swings.

And she had all three of them right now. She had a vanilla ice cream cone Uncle Tails had just bought her, she had her aunt, uncle, and whole blood-family, and she was in the park on her favorite swing.

Bliss. That's how she would describe it, if only she knew the word. Happily, the child licked her ice cream steadily, her muzzle covered in the white stuff people called ice cream, although she had debated before with her father why a person would call it ice cream when it wasn't ice _or_ cream.

The toddler felt the world was at peace as she watched her father race Flash, as she watched Nick talk engineering with Tails, as she watched Violet and Kyler act like five year olds themselves as they climbed up the slides. And she giggled, because she loved these moments, when Flash wasn't annoying her, when Nick opened up, when Kyler actually howled in laughter and Violet acted like her crazy-self. She licked her cone again, sighing happily as her feet barely managed to touch the ground and shift her swing slightly.

A movement in the swing next to her made the child turn, and she smiled at seeing her aunt.

"Hi Aunt Tia," the child said cheerfully. She waved with her free hand, giggling. Tia smiled.

"Hey, honey," she answered happily. "You looked like you could use some company." The child nodded, turning back to the scene in front of her, listening to the laughter in the summer air.

"I like summer days," Rose stated.

"Because that's when roses are in full bloom?" Tia teased, and Rose giggled.

"No," she answered, "I like 'em 'cause then everyone is happy. There ain't no worries."

"Aren't no worries," Tia corrected, but she smiled. "Yes. Summer means fewer days of stress, huh?"

"Stress?"

"Stress is an emotion that appears when a person has too much things going in their lives. And they usually act mad and yell more, too."

"Oh." Rose took a bite of her cone's bottom, sucking the ice cream out from the bottom. A habit of hers. "Yeah. Daddy an' Mommy seem happier over summer. An' Kywer too."

"They don't have as much to worry about."

"Yes," the toddler replied, and she turned to her aunt, smiling. "Everything 'bout summer is nice." The aunt smiled.

"What's your favorite part?" she questioned, wanting the conversation to continue.

"You can see shooting stars," the child said wistfully, and she looked up. "Even during the day. If you see one during the day, Violet says it means good luck." Tia blinked, confused.

"You've seen shooting stars during the day?" she asked. "I never have, and I'm older!" The child laughed.

"Wow!" she quipped. "I see 'em all the time. There goes one now!" Pointing up, the child's finger followed the cloud-line of an airplane, thousands of feet above the earth.

"But…that's an airplane," Tia corrected, hoping she wasn't crushing her niece's daydreams.

"I know," the hedgehog replied back, not sounding the least bit hurt nor surprised. "But it's also a shooting star, and it means good luck. Kyler says so."

"I thought Violet said so." The fox was still trying to understand the concept.

"Violet said so first. And now Kyler agrees." Rose stuffed the rest of her ice cream cone in her mouth, smacking her lips and licking her fingers. "Kyler also says that Uncle Tails brings luck, because sometimes we see the shooting star of the Tornado III." This time, Tia laughed, understanding the notion just enough to think how cute this whole conversation was.

"Well, he is a very amazing fox," Tia agreed, grinning at the little girl. "If he brings luck, does that mean he's lucky?"

"Yeah," Rose replied. "He's lucky 'cause he's got two tails, and he's got you."

"Me?" The older of the two was flattered.

"Uh-huh. He was very lucky to get you." Rose got up from her seat on the swing then, and before Tia could protest, she hugged the fox. Tia hugged back, elated.

"Love you too," the fox laughed, her mind on shooting stars and luck. "Love you too."


	22. Life Goal

List: Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23, GalexiatheChao, Sonic5521, Zeldaskeeper, Darkspine Sonic759, and Silverdawn2010!

Whoa, I got a quick update! *Does a dance*. Thanks, like usual, for the reviews/poll votes everyone! I'll go take a look at the poll now…Anywho, let's get started quick, eh? Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-two

Life Goal

Death.

That was how she was feeling right now. Or at least, that's how Kyler would describe her mood. But Rose wasn't Kyler. She was Rose, a pink hedgehog with light purple banes, and with moods constantly changing.

And as she thought on who she was, more tears poured out of her eyelids. Who was she? The question was starting to drive her _insane_. Literally. Her friends at school were evening starting to notice a difference in the usually bubbly elated thirteen year old. But recently, life had just…gone down-hill. For really no reason at all. When she talked to her mother about it, she'd state that it was hormones. Kyler would only sigh and say that it was a phase and she'd get over it eventually. And Violet, though the second oldest, acted as if she had no clue. She had always been like that, Violet. Always pretending she was still a young and innocent child, even though she had seen so much in her short lifetime.

When Rose thought about her own characterizes…she couldn't come up with anything. Sure, she was usually pretty happy, and she loved drooling over the cute guys, but…still. Day after day, night after night, the question would linger. Like a stalker, the question would peer into her soul whenever the girl was feeling down, whenever the girl was doubtful; was life merely all a fairytale, a dream, something that everyone took too seriously?

And then another question: Her purpose. She knew the whole world pondered the question. Heck, she'd seen books on the topic, their answers usually having something to do with getting a family and a career that paid you enough to retire ten times over. Yet, the answer irked her. Her father didn't have a high paying job. But he had never been one to want more, to want a bigger home or better job, or _anything_. He seemed happy with where he was, and he wasn't even following the world's purpose.

Sighing, the teenager continued staring out the window, watching the individual rain drops fall steadily to the ground. Why was it that every time she was sad, it was raining? Was it because when it rained it was always dreary looking outside?

She shrugged to herself, really not wanting to think about anything. All she wanted to do, was curl up in her bed and sleep.

'_And to know the answers,'_ she thought to herself, allowing another sigh to escape her lips.

A sudden boom from outside made her shift her gaze slightly, and she watched as her father came to a halt outside and quickly opened the door. Once inside, she turned, aware of her father shaking the rain off of his fur coat, grumbling to himself, for he hated water.

"Man," the blue hedgehog stared, turning to his daughter, shuddering. "I _hate_ rain."

"Then why were you out in it?" Rose muttered, her gaze returning to the window. Sonic shrugged as he walked up towards her.

"Had to go to the store," he answered. He showed her two shopping bags, and the girl raised an eyebrow as she watched him head to the kitchen to put the groceries away. "Where's Mom, Sam, and the boys?"

"Football practice," she stated, putting her head back in her hands and sighing.

"Oh yeah," he mused, as he put the groceries away at sonic-speed. "I knew that."

"Uh-huh."

A silence. And then,

"Bad day at school?"

"It was alright," she lied. Sonic walked back towards her, an apple in his hand as he bit into it. A crunch sound followed, then a swallow, and Sonic blinked as he said,

"Liar."

The girl blushed. Her father had always been able to pick up on her moods. Her mother, not as well, but her Dad…

"So what's up?" Finding a chair, the blue hedgehog reclined against it, and bit into his apple again. His gaze lay only on the pink hedgehog in front of him, showing that all of his attention was on her.

"It's nothing particular," she answered, this time truthfully, as she reclined against her own chair. "Just the school system sayin' I need to find a career an' if I don't I'm doomed to fail at life." She paused, allowing Sonic to say something, but he just continued watching her so she went on. "An' I have _no_ _idea_ what I want to do when I'm older. I just want something that pays enough that I'm happy, but everyone says you need a lot of money to be happy. But every time I look at people with money they don't seem anymore happy than us, and I'm not calling us poor or anything, but we're not exactly wealthy, like livin' in a mansion type wealthy, an'-"

"Whoa, Rose, you're on a runnin' streak!" Sonic cried, chuckling as he held up his hand in a stop-sign motion. Rose blinked in confusion, than closed her agape mouth.

"Whatta mean?" she questioned.

"I mean you would've just kept goin' on and on if I hadn't have stopped ya." The blue hedgehog winked at the girl playfully, and Rose smiled softly before sighing.

"But really, Dad," she started. "I don't know what to think. I don't like how they define happiness, and I don't like being forced to know what I want to do. Dad, I hardly know who _I_ am! How can they expect-?"

"They can't." Sonic's answer was quick and snappy, but when he turned to her he smiled softly. "You're only a kid, an' ya got your whole life basically to find what you wanna do and figure out who you are."

"But then why don't they tell us kids the same?" the girl whined impatiently as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why don't they take a chill pill?" Sonic laughed out loud.

"'Cause they're adults without a purpose," he replied casually. "They have absolutely no idea what their goal in life should be, so they make up an educated guess an' teach it to the kids who're freakin' out over the expectations. Eventually, most of the kids fall for the trap, and they end up tellin' their kids, which starts a cycle until in the long run no one remembers that the idea of a 'worthy' career with a lot of money doesn't sound like the best goal." The hedgehog paused then, taking a breather, allowing the dumbfounded child to speak.

"So…then what _is_ our goal?" she asked softly, almost afraid to ask in case her father didn't have an answer.

"You are a witness," he stated. "You stand up for the weak, you give to the poor, you help those in need…basically ya live to love. An' no matter what the school system says, a career ain't gonna get you anywhere. One day the rich will learn that themselves. One day someone will wake up and think, 'Huh, I can't take any of my possessions with me when I die…can I?' And when someone important like a politician figures that out…heh. It oughta be fun." Rose blinked, now even more confused.

"So…you don't want me to worry about school?" she tried.

"I don't want you to worry, but I want you to care. There's a difference." Sonic, having finished his apple, laid the apple core down on the nearby table. "Try to excel, but don't get so bummed out that if you fail you're never the same. Grades and money and looks don't make the world go round. But our faith does."

"It should be our number one?"

"Yes. Faith comes first. Do you understand?"

A silence. And then the smallest nod from the girl, and the two smiled at each other.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered. He winked again.

"Anytime."

* * *

For the Christian readers, this might be a good drabble. For those not Christian, this chapter might not have done much, if anything for ya. Sorry. But I got it started and I liked it enough that I had to continue writing it and end up publishing it. xD Hope you guys got something out of it! Thanks for reading.

~Ksonic~


	23. Just Like Your Mother

List: ArmalRavenwing, Darkspine Sonic759, GalexiatheChao, Sapo, Silverdawn2010, Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23, Zeldaskeeper, and Metal the Hedgehog!

Thanks, everyone! Yes, I know I have a poll to follow…But I decided that I will handle it like I do requests. I'll take it, and write it when the idea has time to warm up in my brain. So…I decided to do **Silverdawn2010's** request first! Haha, funny; I told her it would be a while…guess not. :P Hope this justifies your idea, **Silverdawn2010**! Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-three

Just Like Your Mother

It was a very, very…odd, emotion. That's what she had decided anyway.

And she didn't even have a name for this new-found feeling. She hardly even knew it was _emotion_. But after a while, when she had seen a pattern-when her heart sped up upon seeing him, when all the heat went to her cheeks- she knew it had to be something. There had to be a _reason_, and it had to be an emotion of some sort.

It was just so…different, from all her other feelings. She always felt so much more alive when the emotion haunted her, when it found its way into her mind. And it always appeared when she saw _him_.

What confused her most wasn't just the emotion. It was that and the boy, mixed together, forcing her heart to spin when she saw him, forcing her to turn her flushed face from his as they passed simultaneously in the hall.

Sometimes he'd say hi to her, maybe even wave. He seemed to try and talk to her, every now and then. He was even nice to her crazed brothers, which was saying something, since they were wild to the extreme, and she knew him to be mellow and quiet; the kid who sat in the back of the classroom and observed everyone, maybe with hypercritical eyes, maybe not. She knew he didn't have disapproving eyes, however. Rather, he had the most gorgeous sky-blue eyes she had ever seen. They were like blue icicles, and they suited his yellow spiky fur-coat well.

In a way, the feeling, the longing to stare into his eyes, scared her. She didn't know what any of it meant. Was she supposed to want to talk to him? Was he supposed to always be on her mind, like some kind of parasite within her?

"Yo, Mobius to Violet."

Startled, the young teenager broke out of her daydreams and stared up at her father, a far away look written across her face.

"Huh?" she asked, blinking innocently. "Did I miss anything?" Kyler, who sat beside her sister on the living room couch, snorted in laughter, which for her, was like a giggle.

"Yeah," Kyler drawled out, smirking teasingly at her little sister. "Dad asked ya a question. About how school went." Violet turned to her father, who merely raised an eyebrow, grinning himself. He had a feeling he knew what Violet had been thinking of.

"Wanna split?" the hedgehog asked. It was his way of asking a person if they wanted to talk somewhere in private.

Hesitating, Violet considered her options. She could either continue pondering what she was feeling, or she could ask her father, who, even though he was hardly in touch with his emotions either, might at least know the name of the mood. Turning to Kyler, she silently asked if she could go without Kyler getting upset. They _were_ in the middle of a TV program. Kyler motioned with her hands.

_Go on._

Smiling, the violet hedgehog stood from her place on the couch.

"Alright, Dad," she started. "Let's go."

Immediately, Sonic put the girl in his arms bridal style, revved up, and ran out of the house, barely recalling how much Amy hated it when he did that.

Violet screamed, giggling, laughing as the wind roughly rushed past her. She loved it when her Dad did this; when he would just run, free like a bird, only faster, faster than the speed of sound, faster than a bolt of lighting…

Suddenly, the wind stopped pressing against her light form, the sky stopped spinning, and she blinked, dazed and dizzy as Sonic gently set her down on her own two feet. Stepping away, the blue hedgehog sighed happily as he plopped down underneath his favorite oak tree, where initials were carved right above his head. Violet gracefully sat down on the opposite end of the tree, a seating arrangement as old as she. Whenever they came here to talk, that's how things went. Never to be changed or altered.

A silence fell between daughter and father, as a gentler wind that didn't try to pull away Violet's skin played with the hedgehogs' quills, and the leaves above their heads. The sun set leisurely further in the horizon, causing the colors purple, red, and orange to dance across the sky. Violet couldn't help but sigh merrily herself.

"I love it when you take me here," she started.

"You know why I took ya here this evening?" His question was nonchalant.

"Because the wind took you here," was her natural response, and she was surprised when her father abruptly replied,

"Not even." Sitting up, the girl forced herself not to break the tradition and look at her father curiously.

"You're serious?" she inquired. There was a momentary pause in the conversation.

"You know," Sonic started, "me and your Mom got married two hills away from here. Did ya know that?" He didn't wait for her response, knowing she was nodding on the other side of the oak tree. "And did you know that when we were younger, your Mom begged me to write our initials in this tree? I didn't even like her then. She was just an annoying pip-squeak who wouldn't leave me alone."

Violet giggled, loving how her father described his stories.

"But now you're glad she made you," she said, knowing he was thinking that general thought. Sonic chuckled.

"Yeah," he mused. "Now I'm glad." The blue hedgehog shook his head, remembering. He turned slightly to his daughter, not quite facing her. "Seems you've got your eyes on someone." He winked, even though he knew she wouldn't see it, and he imagined her face turn red at his blunt statement.

"W-what makes you think that?" the child stuttered. "I don't like anyone right now, Dad. How could you think that?"

"'Cause you sound nervous." He laughed. "And 'cause you were starin' off to space when I tried talkin' to ya back at home."

"I'm always 'looking off to space'!" Violet retorted, huffing and crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't like anyone. Geez..."

"You sure?"

"Why'd you take me here anyway?"

"'Cause we're talking about _feelings_. And these hills have certainly seen a bunch of emotions in the last…well, for a long time." Sonic blushed secretly, remembering all the dates out here, all the star-gazing, the wedding… "You may tell me it's nothing. But I know the eyes of someone with a crush. I've seen the look a billion times."

"Yeah, from who?" Violet snapped, still embarrassed that her own Dad thought she _liked some boy_.

"Your mother."

An awkward silence hung over the father and daughter, like some sort of unwanted black cloud. Biting her lip, Violet recalled all her father's stories about her mother over the recent years. She knew she didn't know half of them, especially the stories of Sonic ignoring her, but she did know he did used to get irked from the pink hedgehog. She did know that he'd been friends with her when she was the only one holding love in her eyes. And yet, the only thing she could think to say, was,

"Oh."

A hush. A mute laugh from the blue hedgehog. Then, from Sonic's side of the tree:

"You're just like your Mom. She _used_ to deny it too."

* * *

Yeah…let's just all pretend that Amy denied liking Sonic the first few days she knew him…haha. Thanks for reading, everyone, and thanks for the idea, **Silverdawn2010**!

~Ksonic~


	24. Instinct

List: Zeldaskeeper, GalexiatheChao, SilverDawn2010, Darkspine Sonic759, and Therapy Angel!

Thanks guys! I happened to have a lot of time on my hands today, so I decided to update this and "fix" another one of my stories. Aren't you all lucky? xD Anyway, thanks again, and onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-four

Instinct

She knew she should've remembered her Dad's cell phone number.

At least in the paper form. With the numbers written down, scrunched up in her jeans pocket. That would've been a good move. But of course, she'd forgotten the phone number on paper in her other jeans pocket.

With a sigh, the teenager shifted her weight as she looked at the vacant parking lot of her high school. This totally stunk. She had been told that her mother would be able to pick her up today, like usual, last night. But then this morning had hit and her mother had said no, actually, she would be busy picking up Violet and Dash from school (the only two she _could_ pick up without going out of her way), and then would be busy driving her half-sister, Jamie, to the airport for "business matters", as Jamie called it. This, to Kyler, was ironic, because based off of what she knew of her family's history, she would think that Jamie would never have chosen a job that required her to have to travel and not always be with her family. But, she was Howard's daughter.

Again, Kyler sighed. She had no way home until 6:30 that night. Usually, she'd be home at 4:00, not 6:30. The morning had been too hectic-trying to get everyone out the door for school on time- for Amy to think through where Kyler fit in with everyone's pick-up time. No one had thought of the one high schooler of the family, and how she'd get home when the local bus down the street actually cost money compared to the elementary school buses that would take her other four siblings home without paying a nickel. And since Kyler hadn't thought through the schedule herself that morning, when she had been half asleep, she hadn't thought of bringing one dollar for the bus she had never had to ride before, because her mother or aunt or even grandmother had always been there to pick her up.

But not this time.

* * *

The day had gone slowly for Sonic. Extremely slowly.

He hated days like this. Days when he got paid by Tails to stare out the window and watch the autumn leaves gently fall to the ground, without him to mess up the leave's flight pattern. It irked him, watching the squirrels have fun storing for the winter while he stayed inside getting oil stuck in his quills. There were definitely days when he wondered why he worked at Tails' workshop. And today was one of those days.

Suddenly, the hedgehog felt more than an urge to run, but to run to _Kyler's high school_. He couldn't describe the anxiety for his oldest daughter, and he never would be able to, but as he sat in a chair by the window, his fingers twitching on the desk, he couldn't stop himself from turning to Tails, who wasn't sitting too far away.

"Hey, buddy," he started, his legs already warming up as he stood from his chair. "Mind if I go check up on Kyler? I got a bad feeling something's not right…" His hands flapped at his sides. Upon looking up from some paper work, Tails blinked.

"You sure it's not an excuse to leave?" he teased his older brother, and Sonic quickly shook his head. Tails blinked again, pondering. He hadn't seen Sonic with that particular look since…well, for a long time. But he knew deep down what it meant, for when he had seen it as a child, it always had meant trouble. Sonic had always been good at knowing when trouble was coming. Tails used to tease the cobalt hedgehog back on Earth, and when Chris had offered Sonic a cell phone for emergencies, Tails had surprised even himself when he had told the human that Sonic didn't need one. He had a sixth sense, practically.

And so, as Tails brought himself back to the present, he found himself nodding. Maybe Sonic, like usual, was right. Maybe Kyler was in danger, or just needed some help with something. Sonic grinned.

"Thanks, bud," he said, relived. "I don't think it's much, an' I'll be back 'fore closin'." And before the kitsune could respond, Sonic was off.

A minute later, the blue hedgehog reached his daughter's school, and when he saw the light blue hedgehog safe and sound, waiting impatiently by the school doors, alone, he couldn't help but grin as he rushed up to her.

"Hey, stranger," he quipped as he came to a stop in front of her, the wind rushing to a halt with him. He smirked. "Whatcha doing out here still? Mom not pick ya up?" He noted her grin of relief as she spoke.

"No, she had to pick up Vi and Dash, than take Aunt Jamie to the airport. She won't be here 'till 6:30." Sonic nodded, understanding.

"Well, ya wanna go home now?" he offered, and the girl's smile increased as she nodded vigorously. Before his daughter could protest, the cobalt hedgehog had her in his arms, and he was off with the wind.

When they reached their home a minute later, Sonic set the girl down on the doorstep, winking.

"There," he said. "You're home. No need to thank me." Kyler laughed as her father bowed.

"How'd you know I needed to get home anyway?" the girl asked. Sonic shrugged, a smirk on his face as he revved up, preparing for the journey back to work for another hour and a half.

"Instinct," he called as he ran off. "Total instinct."


	25. Peer Pressure

List: DiamondStarz, SilverDawn2010, Zeldaskeeper, Darkspine Sonic759, GalexiatheChao, and IHeartSonAmy!

Sorry for the wait guys. But I'm back! And yes, I will get to the ideas you've given me, and the poll idea, but I need to think on them more, annoyingly enough. Anyway, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-five

Peer Pressure

Sonic the Hedgehog knew his daughter had had a bad day when she came in from school, slammed the door, and stalked off to her room, her face up just enough for the blue hedgehog to notice tears. And a lot of them.

Sighing, the father frowned, rubbing a finger underneath his nose as he thought on what to do. There were times when he stayed out of his daughters' way when they were upset, and times he didn't, but he didn't know which to do this time. She hadn't even mumbled a hello, meaning today _really_ wasn't worth remembering, but than again there had been a lot of little droplets running down her muzzle. And Sonic had never liked seeing anyone crying.

"What's wrong with Ky?" Samantha walked into the living room, her jade eyes holding nothing but confusion as she blinked up at him. She stopped in front of the couch Sonic sat on, wondering what to do with his day off, and Sonic smiled gently at the girl before he sat up, sighing.

"Let's go find out," he answered, and he reached for the child's hand. She took it, happy to be involved as she led the way to her older sister's room.

Upon reaching the closed door, Sonic pressed an ear against the white wooden frame, and he was quickly aware of Violet's voice. Encouraged that the two sisters were talking, he tapped lightly on the door. The talking abruptly stopped.

"Can we come in?" Samantha asked, all child-like.

"No," came an acute answer from the other side of the door. "No. Me and Kyler are talking. Go play outside or something."

"But Daddy an' I wanna know what's wrong with Ky!" the toddler cried back impatiently.

"Nothing's wrong with me." Kyler's voice. "It's just been a long day, and I'm talking to Vi anyway. Tell that to Dad so he won't worry."  
"I'm right here, Kyler," Sonic cut in, biting his lip, wondering if he should get involved or not. But he opened the door anyway.

The first thing the cobalt hedgehog noticed was the two sisters sitting on Kyler's bed, a box of tissues in between them, and a piece of crumbled up paper sat wrinkled in their linked hands. Immediately, Kyler pulled away from her sister, taking the paper with her, and she looked away from the door.

"I'm fine Dad, really," she said harshly, blinking back tears. Violet sighed from the other side of the bed, frowning sadly at Sonic.

"Maybe you should tell him-" she started, but the look from the other made Violet close her mouth, and the girl looked down, noting the bed sheets as if she were actually interested in them.

"Sam, why don't you go find Mom and hang with her for a minute?" Sonic suggested to the child who still hung by his side.

"But I wanna stay with you," the five year old replied, giving the puppy look. "Please?"

"I think I should talk to your sisters alone." He ruffled the girl's spines. "I'll find you later, 'k?" Sighing, Samantha nodded and slowly walked off, and Sonic turned back to the girls as he allowed himself in their shared bedroom, closing the door behind him with a soft click. With slow movement (if that was possible for the blue blur), he sat himself down on Violet's bed across the room, reclining against it like he did everything, and he smiled weakly at the sisters.

"So," he started, "what's up?"

"I just had a bad day is all," Kyler replied nonchalantly, rubbing her eyes with her shirt sleeves.

"Well, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Kyler responded as she set her hands down in her lap, clutching the same wrinkled piece of paper from a minute ago with her fingers.

"But you're tellin' Violet, aren't you?" The violet one seemed to shrink into the furniture, not wanting to be brought into the conversation.

"She's my sister," was Kyler's sharp reply. "I tell her everything. You know that."

"But I'm your dad," Sonic countered, frowning. "And I _want_ you to be able to tell me anything." Kyler exhaled slowly and looked away pointedly.

"It's just something Annika told me today," the teenager mumbled.

"Your best friend?" Sonic inquired, confused. "What, she say something mean?"

"Mean doesn't cover it," Violet explained. "Show him the note, Ky." Kyler grasped the note in her lap harder, making her fingers turn white, and she looked up at Sonic, looking scared and hurt as she pondered what to do.

"Here." Her voice sounded small and sensitive as she lifted the note from her lap, biting her lip as a tear rolled down her face. Sitting up, Sonic zoomed over and took the small note, wiping away his daughter's tear while he was at it, and she smiled weakly. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, the cobalt hedgehog opened the piece of paper, reading the note over once, twice, than three times. He closed his eyes after reading it, rubbing his forehead.

"You gonna do it?" His voice was hardly above a whisper.

"No," Kyler replied, looking down. Violet reached across and took her sister's hand again, squeezing it. "I'm not going to. She's not a true friend if she wants me to do that…" Sonic sighed, opening his eyes as he turned to Kyler.

"I really thought she was better than that," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "The times I've met her, she seemed like a good kid."

"I know," Kyler said softly. "I thought so too."

A silence fell in between the three of them, and than out of nowhere, Sonic said,

"I'm proud of you, girl." He smiled sadly at Kyler, reaching out a hand to wipe away more unseen tears. "You're making the right choice, even though it doesn't seem like it."

"I sometimes wonder…" Kyler quietly spoke. "I mean, it's no big deal, to steal. At least it doesn't seem like it. And I want to be friends with her still. But…I guess…I know it's wrong. And I would never feel like I belong if I did do what she said I should do…"

"Yeah," Sonic agreed. "You've always hated the popular group anyway."

"But I've never hated Annika," Kyler replied. "But...now…she's just changed so much, since we entered high school. She's dating guy after guy, cursing more often, even though she knows I hate it, acting all snobby…it's not the girl I knew. And I want to help her see what she's doing isn't her." Sonic smiled sadly.

"I know," he sighed. "You want to help everyone see what's right in front of them, to open their eyes in the darkness and see light, but sometimes people are stubborn. And I guess Annika's going stubborn on the inside."

"She always was one to follow," Kyler added in a sarcastic tone. "But Dad…she's my only friend at school."

"I know," Sonic spoke. He placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly. "But you've always been the wise one. And I'm glad you're not going back on that now. Someday you'll look back and be glad it turned out like this." Kyler smiled feebly, sniffing. Sonic reached for a tissue and offered it to her, and the girl blew her nose and wiped her tear-lined face.

"Thanks Dad," she murmured. Sonic winked at her, smiling lovingly.

"There's always another loner," he teased. "There's always someone out there. And if not, you have us. Vi will join you in high school in a year or so."

"Yes," Kyler replied, turning to her younger sister; her best friend. "I'm glad you're only a year younger." Violet smiled, glad to see Kyler back to normal.

"I am too," Violet answered, laughing. "Dash gets annoying without you to keep him in line."

"He's annoying anyway," Kyler replied, laughing herself.

Smiling, Sonic rose from the bed, heading towards the door as the girls continued chatting. Just before he closed the door, Kyler glanced at him and smiled, her eyes saying it all.

"She okay?" Amy asked a few minutes later, when Sonic found Samantha helping her water the flowers. Sonic grinned.

"Perfectly fine," he said. "She's going through friendship issues." Amy frowned, gently lowering the hose that sprayed the flowers. Samantha's screams of joy as she ran through the sprinkler with Nick, who was also outside, made its way into her ears only slightly.

"I wish there was a way us parents could prevent hardships like that at school," she said softly.

"Yeah," Sonic answered. "But then…what would life be like, if we all automatically fit in? Life would be so dull."

"That's not what she's thinking right now," Amy put in. Sonic shrugged.

"She'll be okay," he comforted. "She's got Violet, and all of us. And we'll be there for her when she needs it."

"Yes." Amy smiled. "That's one thing I love about our family. We're all so different, and yet we're always there for each other."

"Me too," Sonic answered. "You're completely right about that."


	26. The Date Night

List: Koollolly, GalexiatheChao, SilverDawn2010, SonamyRules159, IHeartSonAmy, GodsSonicGirl, Sonic5521, Darkspine Sonic759, Therapy Angel, and, Zeldaskeeper!

Whoa! I get the feeling from you reviewers that the last chapter was a good one, haha. Thank you all so much for your kind words, regarding that.

So. A long time ago, **Therapy Angel** asked if I could maybe do a chapter about the whole family going out or something, and/or Sonic and the boys causing ruckus at a movie theatre…I kind of combined the two ideas with this record long chapter, only the boys didn't really cause ruckus…heh. Oh well. Hope you like it **Therapy Angel**! Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-six

The Date Night

Amy hadn't been this excited for a _long_ time. It had been months since she and Sonic had had a night to themselves. With seven kids, it was understandable.

But tonight they could finally have a night completely alone. Cream would be coming over in fifteen minutes to whisk away the children, while she and Sonic planned to go out to eat at Amy's favorite restaurant, watch a movie that kids couldn't be caught seeing, and then…

Well, the rest was obvious. Amy giggled to herself as she put her best set of earrings on, energy rushing through her veins. This was just so _exciting_! Her and Sonic, on a dream date…and no kids crying, screaming…

"Ahem." Amy instantly recognized Sonic clearing his throat behind her, and she glanced into the mirror she sat beside, catching Sonic's awed expression as he gazed upon her. "You look…great," Sonic stuttered, and Amy giggled again. Without turning she handed him a priceless necklace, and he took it without question, clipping it around her neck.

"You look good too, Sonic," she replied, making Sonic laugh.

"I don't look any different than usual," he answered. "You know you couldn't catch me dead wearin' a suit." The blue hedgehog shivered at the thought.

"I've seen you in a suit before," Amy started, but before she could continue Sonic's lips were on hers.

"No you haven't," Sonic remarked as he pulled away gently, and Amy decided to let it go at that, feeling too light headed to disagree anyway. "Ready ta go?"

"Uh-huh." Amy checked herself once more in the mirror before standing, her light blue dress swaying at her hills. Sonic's grin expanded.

"Cream said she'd be here in ten minutes, right?" Sonic confirmed, getting antsy to leave, and Amy merely nodded as she walked out the door of their bedroom.

A sudden gust ran down the hall as Amy exited, and the pink hedgehog sighed, glad she wouldn't have to put up with the kids, at least for tonight. Sure, she loved the kids to pieces, but breaks were needed periodically.

"Dash, don't you be giving Aunt Cream that kind of trouble tonight!" Amy called down the hall as the boy stopped in front of the staircase leading to the main floor. "You understand me, young man?" The blue hedgehog huffed, blowing unwanted bangs away to reveal a mischievous grin.

"O' course, Mom!" the boy cried as he rushed down the stairs. Sighing, Amy turned to Sonic, who chuckled softly.

"They'll be fine," Sonic assured her, taking her hand in his as they headed downstairs themselves. "Dash loves Cream too much ta make her too mad."

"And I thought he loved me too," Amy replied sarcastically, making Sonic laugh once more as he pulled her close to himself.

"Ya can know I-"

Sonic was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the telephone ringing, and the couple simultaneously turned to the sound as Kyler automatically picked it up.

"Hello?" the young girl started. "Oh, hi Aunt Cream." Amy blinked in surprise, wondering why the rabbit was calling, when Kyler handed her the phone.

"She wants to talk to you," the girl explained, and Amy took the phone, confused.

"Hey Cream." A cough from the other line startled the pink hedgehog.

"Hi, Amy." Cream's voice was hoarse. "Listen, I'm really sorry, but…" A fit of coughing. "Amy, you know the stomach flu's going around, don't you? Well, I have it, and I don't think it would be a good idea if I babysat the children tonight…"

_'Get right to the point, why don't you?' _Amy thought to herself.

"Oh, well, um…" Amy, still stunned, turned to Sonic, who looked just as surprised as she. "Well, that's alright, Cream. Um…we'll do it another time. An', we hope you'll get better…"

"I'm really sorry, Amy…"

"It's not your fault you got sick," Amy replied, forcing herself to stay calm even though inside a whirl of emotions was starting to form. "Really, don't worry about it. Thanks for calling, Cream." Before the rabbit could even respond, Amy had the phone back in the receiver, and she started at the phone for a minute, as if she expected Cream to call back and say that she'd been joking and that she really wasn't sick and she could still watch the kids.

A hand was on her shoulder then, but Amy hardly felt it as she slowly withdrew into herself. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to just be her and Sonic.

"Tails isn't available?" Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Or Mom, or Vanilla?" She turned to Sonic then, tears forming.

'_This wasn't supposed to happen…'_

Sonic shook his head, sighing, and he glanced at Kyler who still stood in the room, looking confused.

"Ya mean Aunt Cream won't be watching us tonight?" the child asked, and Amy nodded, trying not to break down as she lowered her coat and herself onto the couch, sighing.

"No," she whispered. "Aunt Cream is sick. She won't be able to babysit you kids tonight."

"So you're not goin' out?" Violet asked as she walked into the room, blinking in surprise.

"No, no, we still are," Sonic suddenly piped up, looking towards Amy who gasped in surprise. "We'll just…bring ya kids along." Any hope that had been in Amy's eyes disappeared at Sonic's sentence, but she kept herself together.

"Really?" Violet squealed. "Oh, that sounds like so much fun! Do we get to dress up too?"

"Yes," Amy answered, telling herself that this would just have to do. "Yes, you may all dress up. Now go tell the others, and we'll be leaving soon, alright?" She forced a fake smile onto her lips as she watched the two girls giggle their way upstairs. Turning to Sonic, she smiled at him sadly, not letting him see how disappointed she really was.

"We'll make up for it another time," Sonic assured her, taking her hand again, and squeezing it gently. Unbeknownst to Amy, he was also forcing himself to not look too disappointed. "Immediately once Cream gets better. We'll go out, just you an' me." Amy nodded, not looking up at him.

"Okay," she said. "Okay."

* * *

"But I wanted to see Auntie Cream!" Rose cried for the millionth time as they pulled up into the restaurant's parking lot.

"She's sick, Rose," Kyler answered, gritting her teeth, tired of her whiney sister already. "She's sick, but we're going out with Mom and Dad and we're going to still have fun."

"That's right," Sonic agreed as he turned the air-car's engine off. "Now, before any of us get out, ya guys need to know that you need to be good tonight."

"Like how we were gonna be with Aunt Cream?" Nick asked innocently.

"Uh…yeah," Sonic answered. He'd never been good at lecturing the kids. "Just be good, an' don't make too much noise."

"Can we run?" Flash asked, and Kyler groaned.

"No, you can't run in this restaurant, Flash _and_ Dash," Amy replied, emphasizing both of the trouble-maker's names. "This restaurant doesn't have a play-place like McDonalds." The two speedsters huffed, crossing their arms in remorse, looking like twins.

"Aw, come on!" Sonic quipped, opening the door. "Let's all try and have fun tonight, alright? We're all here together as a family. What more could we want?"

"Freedom," Dash mumbled, making Flash snicker, and Amy sent them a glare as Sonic rushed to her side of the car, opening her door. Just because the kids were with them, Sonic figured, didn't mean he couldn't make her night a little better by opening her door. Amy smiled sadly up at him, then opened the door for the kids, and those not in car seats or booster seats rushed out.

"Cwan we cowwer 'ere?" Samantha asked politely, her small hand finding its way into Amy's.

"Of course, honey," Amy replied, smiling down at the toddler as the family headed towards the front door. "They have crayons here and you can color on the children's menu all you'd like."

"Yay!" the toddler cried, skipping the rest of the way to the front doors, forcing Amy to do the same. She stopped suddenly when she saw the crowd of people, and Amy let in a sharp intake of breath.

"Sonic…" she breathed. "Our reservation was for _two_."

"Well, they're just gonna have to let us in, huh?" Sonic didn't even pause in step as he opened the door. "After you." Amy sighed wearily, walking in slowly after the excited children, listening to their astonished gasps.

"Whoa!" Violet said excitedly, looking in all directions. "This place is like…whoa!"

"Too fancy if ya ask me," Dash muttered, leaning against a nearby wall.

"I think it's pretty," Rose stepped in. "Look at that plant over there, Mommy! What is it?"

"Not sure, honey," Amy replied, biting her lip as she led herself and Samantha up to the reservation stand.

"Why hello," the lady behind the stand said, sounding amused as she glanced at the children. "How may I help you?"

"We have a reservation under Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic replied as he walked up beside his wife, scratching the back of his neck nervously. The lady, finding their name, blinked in surprise.

"Um…" she started awkwardly, "you're under for _two_ people." Sonic cleared his throat, glancing around nervously for a second.

"We know," he stated. "Um…there was a change of plans at the last minute."

"Oh." The lady behind the stand looked mildly amused. "Well, sir, I'm sorry but we're very busy tonight, in case you can't tell. And we can't make room for…how many was it?"

"Nine," Amy murmured, looking away as she tried locating all the children again so they could go as soon as possible.

"Ah, well, nine. You can't just walk in here with a reservation for two, and expect us to allow nine to sit. No, that won't work." Sonic tapped his fingers impatiently on the stand, sighing.

"How long's the waiting list?"

"About an hour, hour and a half," the lady replied. "You could've called earlier and made a reservation for nine-"

"We didn't know we'd need it until five minutes ago," Sonic cut in, impatient. "We'll leave ya back to your orderly night. Thanks." Without another word, Sonic turned, his eyes searching for seven familiar faces. "Kids, c'mon, we gotta go somewhere else."

"Awww…" Violet said sadly, looking down.

"And I was just getting used to it," Kyler sarcastically added, following the rest out the doors.

"Cwan we cowwer a' the ofver rest-e-aunt?" Samantha asked.

"I don't know, honey," Amy responded, looking at Sonic sadly. "I don't know where we're going."

"You'll see." Sonic winked at Amy, trying to lighten up her mood. "We'll go to a place were ya can still draw, alright Sam?"

"Yay!"

"Take two," Kyler whispered to Violet as they got in their seats, and the two girls laughed. They both knew this would be a chaotic night.

* * *

By the time the family arrived at the second restaurant, Dash was complaining about being bored, Rose kept saying she had to go to the bathroom, and Samantha wouldn't quit talking about how excited she was about coloring at the next location. It was enough to give anyone a headache, Amy figured, as did Kyler secretly, as the girl banged her head up against the car window.

"Kyler, stop that," Amy scolded wearily. "You're going to give yourself a concussion."

"Oh, and Rose hasn't with her hammer," the girl remarked, but she stopped anyway, covering her ears with her hands.

"You're so dramatic," Dash sighed, bouncing uncontrollably in his seat. "Are we there yet?"

"Yep," Sonic replied, parking the car. "Just got here."

"Good, I'm starving!" Flash cried excitedly as Amy opened the doors for the second time that night. She caught Sonic's gaze for a second, finding comfort in his eyes full of pity, and she smiled.

"Cowwer!" Samantha sang happily, again skipping up the restaurants' steps. "Cowwer, cowwer, I wovet t' cowwer!"

"Samantha, please calm down," Amy reprimanded, taking the toddler's hand. "And Rose, come on, I thought you had to go to the bathroom!" The mother turned to see the child not even attempting to move as a blue streak blocked her off from the path.

"Flash won't quit running in front of me!" she cried, huffing as she crossed her arms.

"Flash, c'mon!" Sonic called, as he opened the front door for the rest of the children. Obliging, Flash instantly rushed over, and Rose huffed once more before quickly following after her brother.

"This place isn't as fancy," was Violet's first remark, as she surveyed the lobby, blinking up at the chandelier-less ceiling.

"Yes," Sonic answered as he walked up to the stand with the two oldest following behind. "But it doesn't have as long a wait most likely, and it's more in our range anyway."

"What's that mean?" Violet asked Kyler.

"It's less expensive." The violet one nodded.

"That would explain the absent chandeliers," she said thoughtfully, and Sonic blinked.

"Where'd you hear that word?" he questioned.

"What word?"

"Sir?" The lady raccoon behind the stand turned to Sonic, smiling gently at the costumer. "May I help you?" Waving off his daughter's question, Sonic inquired,

"How long's the wait?"

"There isn't one right now," the lady replied back politely, and Sonic allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"Good," he said. "Good, good. Got room for nine?" The lady raised an eyebrow as she looked in her book, but she nodded.

"Right this way please," she instructed as she picked up a handful of adult and children menus. "How many kid menus will you need?"

"Six," Kyler replied before Sonic had the chance. "Mom says I don't need to have a kid's menu anymore."

Sonic blinked in surprise.

"Seven just in case," he told the raccoon, and she handed him an extra as she placed the menus on the circle shaped booth, side by side. As if on cue, the rest of the children suddenly came pouring into the room, chatting loudly as they did so and disrupting the others around them.

"Cowwer!"

"Samantha, please," Amy said as she tried quieting down the others.

"Can I sit by Kyler?" Nick asked politely.

"No, I'm sitting by her!" Violet snapped.

"There's two spots," Kyler replied back in an intelligent yet bored tone. "Two spots and two people asking to sit by me. Hmm…"  
"I'm sitting by Dash," Flash remarked, sitting by his brother who was already looking at the menu hungrily.

"Do they have popcorn here?" the older of the two speedsters asked, and Sonic merely shrugged as he set Samantha down next to Amy. Turning, he wasn't surprised to see Nick on Amy's other side, and then he realized that Amy was, like usual, separated from him.

He sighed, wishing things hadn't turned out this way as he sat down next to Flash and Rose.

"Alright, now everyone quiet down," Sonic ordered as he picked up his menu. "This restaurant is not one for a lot of kids, so we have to act grown-up like."

"But we're not grown-ups…" Rose sounded confused.

"Mommy?" Samantha asked, as she tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Mommy? Why do I on'y hav two cra-ans?"

"That's how they give out crayons," Amy replied, glancing at the menu before her.

"Bwut-"

"Hey, now look what you can make with blue and red!" Sonic cut in with fake enthusiasm, getting up from his seat and picking up Samantha's red crayon. "Ya can draw something like a flower!" He drew a sloppy example.

"Bwut fowers are not-"

"It's your imagination," Rose interrupted, as she looked up from her own drawing of a flower. "The flower can look however you want."

"Bwut-"

"Here, Sam, have my green crayon," Nick offered as he rolled the crayon over towards her direction.

"How nice of you!" Amy beamed at her son. "Thank your brother, Samantha."

"Twank ew."

"But before you color, you should probably decide what you want to eat tonight," Sonic explained to the toddler gently. "What sounds good?"

"Steak," Samantha answered quickly, and Sonic blinked.

"Erm…they don't have steak on the kids menu."

"Steak."

"You've never even had steak before!" Kyler lectured. "How do you know you like it?"

"I wan' steak." She looked up from her drawing. "Please?"

Sonic looked at loss for words, and he turned to Amy.

"How about some chicken nuggets instead?" Amy asked, almost pleadingly.

"Is tha' anoother word for steak?"

"It's…like steak," Amy replied cautiously. "They're both meat."

"Okay." The child went back to her drawing, and Amy sighed in relief.

"Mom, you said I could order off the adult menu now, right?" Kyler didn't allow a peaceful silence for long. "Right, Mom? You said so when I turned ten last month."

"Are you sure you can eat that much?" Amy asked carefully, trying to remember if she had promised Kyler such a thing.

"Uh-huh. Dad says I have a hollow leg you know."

"Well…for a ten year old, sure. But you're no where close to being an adult."

"You could get the mac and cheese like me, Kyler," Violet supposed, pointing to the picture on the child's menu. "You and I have always liked that." Kyler wrinkled her nose.

"Sure," she started, "but that's for _kids_. Dad says I'm mature for my age."

"Maturity has nothing to do with how big your stomach is," Nick thoughtfully said, as if he had recited it from a book (or a parent's mind). Violet high-fived him from across the table, and Kyler frowned.

"Please?" she asked again, giving the puppy look. "They have to-go boxes. And I'll order something real small."

"Oh for crying out loud…" Dash huffed, and he closed his menu. "I'm getting the chicken fingers. Don't make it so complicated, Ky."

"I'm not!" she retorted angrily. "I'm just asking-"

"Go ahead, Kyler," Sonic replied. "Don't get more than you can eat, alright?"

The girl was too busy giggling evilly to hear him, and Sonic shook his head, smirking slightly. Turning back to his menu, he quickly decided on the closest thing to a chili dog, which happened to be a hamburger.

"It's a shame they don't have chili dogs at fancy places," he said wistfully, glancing over at Amy, and she smiled, laughing softly.

"Oh please," she remarked. "It's a good thing they don't."

"Oh?" A change in Sonic's eyes made Amy suddenly forget that they were with their seven children in a restaurant that wasn't her favorite…

"Mama! Look!"

And then she was brought back into the real world.

* * *

By the time the meal was finally, _finally _over, Amy was ready to collapse and hit the hay, as she put it.

"But that doesn't make any sense," Nick said as they walked out of the restaurant, sounding not at all tired. "_Hitting the hay_? You and Daddy don't sleep on hay!"

"But, I thought we were gonna watch a movie before heading back home…" Violet stated quietly, sounding not at all pleased with the idea of going home now, at _only_ eight o'clock.

"We should probably all be going home now so we can go to bed," Sonic replied gently, reaching out his other hand not in Amy's. Violet took it uncertainly, sighing sadly.

"But I really wanted to see a movie…"

"I did too, Vi," Dash put in, sounding miserable himself, his head down. "I wanted to see the action movie!"

"What action movie?" Rose asked.

"They were gonna watch an action movie called…oh, what was it?"

"Well, we can't now, guys," Sonic cut in. "Besides, that movie ain't for kids in the slightest."

"I thought we could watch something like…I don't know," Nick said, wanting his part in the conversation. "Funny, cool…"

"Their movie was gonna be like that," Dash explained, as he and the rest of the family finally reached the car. "Oh, please Dad? Can't we go watch something? They're plenty of little kid baby movies out these days, right?"

"They're not baby movies!" Violet screeched.

"Please?"

"Yeah, Dad, please?" the rest cried, almost all at the same time. Biting his lip, Sonic turned to Amy, knowing that it all came down to her in the end.

"Well…I suppose," she replied, reluctantly. "But after the movie, it's straight to bed for all of you, you hear?"

But none of them did hear. They were all too busy bickering over which movie they should convince their parents to let them watch.

* * *

The movie theater was extremely crowded by the time the nine of them arrived ten minutes later, most of the people adults going to the opening of the new action movie…that Amy and Sonic _were_ going to watch. Sonic watched the large multitude swarm through the one door leading into the movie, and he stared at it longingly, hungrily, making Rose giggle as she caught her father's expression.

"Can I have a snack, Mom?" Violet suddenly asked as they tried deciding on a movie they could all watch. "Can I?"

"You just had supper," was Amy's quick reply.

"But ya can't go to a movie theater and not get popcorn!" Dash cried, realizing that his favorite food might actually be within his grasp. "Please, oh please, oh please? I promise I won't run in the house for a _week_!"

"And you always end up breaking your promises, don't you?" Amy was completely unfazed. Turning to his father, Dash looked at him pleadingly.

"Come on, Dad," he practically begged. "This is popcorn we're talking about. Think of it as a chili dog. Wouldn't you be begging for one?"

"They have chili dogs here, in case you didn't notice," Sonic replied. "Now, which movie do you want to see? You and Nick are the only one's who have already voted, so hurry it up."

"So it's a no?"

Sonic turned to Dash, looking bored with the conversation.

"Dash…" Sighing, he got down to the child's level. "You know I love chili dogs. But you also know I love your mother, and she wouldn't want me to have a chili dog, especially right after we ate supper."

"But that's you-"

"And I know that whether you'll admit it or not, you love your Mom too, and if she said no, she said no." Dash growled, turning away from his father.

"Why do you always take her side?"

"'Cause it's a husband's job…Sometimes." Sonic ruffled the boy's spines playfully. "Now, c'mon sport, don't be so glum." He stood back up again. "What do ya want to see?"

"The movie with the most action," Dash answered, not too caring at the moment. Suddenly, he brightened, turning to his father, holding back a smirk. "Yeah. Which ever has the most action." Sonic raised an eyebrow, not liking the way Dash had the look of "I'm-planning-on-disobeying-and-you-won't-know-when-or-how" written all over his face.

Five minutes later, the nine of them had arranged themselves in the theater, which was mostly empty. ("_Probably because so many parents are watching that new movie,_" Sonic thought to himself bitterly, eyes lowered). Just as they sat down, the lights began to dim.

"Ssh, it's starting!" Violet cried in an excitement whisper. She bounced lightly in her seat, smiling up at her mother whom she sat by. Amy blinked in surprise. She hadn't noticed if her kids were happy tonight, not really. She'd been too busy daydreaming about what would've happened to notice. And yet, here was Violet, excitement dancing through her veins, and Amy found herself smiling, glad that her daughter's smile, which had always been bright, was so contagious.

"Thanks for takin' us out to eat _and_ a movie," the girl whispered as the ads started, and Amy suddenly felt the familiar beginning of tears. She blinked, turning away but taking her daughter's hand, squeezing it.

"You're welcome, sweetie," she whispered.

"Hey, Mom?" Shifting on to the next child, Amy turned to the sound of Flash's confused voice, smiling at the boy.

"Yes?"

"Where's Dash? I wanted to sit by him, but he's not here…" Amy blinked in surprise and looked at Dash's empty seat. She groaned, putting a hand up to her forehead. And just when her night was getting less stressful…

* * *

"So, that's all I ask," Dash concluded, smiling pitifully up at the old lady before him. "The small size would work. Or the medium level. Actually, I would love the biggest bag of popcorn you could buy. But I'm okay with the small bag, if that'll work for you."

"Um…" the old lady, who happened to be a ginger cat, bit her lip, not knowing how to answer this young boy. "Where are your parents?"

"They're watching the movie with my brothers and sisters," he replied, nonchalantly. "They won't notice I'm gone for a few minutes."

"Won't they be upset that you left without asking?"

"Yeah." For knowing he'd get in trouble, the boy seemed way too calm to the cat.

"Why wouldn't they buy you popcorn themselves?"

"We just ate, and Dad says Mom said no, so he wouldn't get me any." Dash sighed, looking down. "But, popcorn's my favorite food. And I would be _so_ happy if you'd buy me some. Please?"

"Listen, young man," the cat began, and Dash's shoulders sagged a little, his smile faltering. "If your parents said no, then I can't help you. I'm sorry."

"But the small bag's only two dollars-!"

"Dash, Paul, Hedgehog!" Immediately, Dash's ears were against his head, and he turned slightly to his father's stern voice. "Dash, what on Mobius are you doing?"

'_Busted…'_

_

* * *

_Two minutes later, Amy was relieved to see Dash in tow behind Sonic, looking upset or not, and she nodded at Sonic as he walked into the aisle; a silent thank you. He nodded back, smiling at her half-heartedly as he sat down in his seat next to the trouble maker. The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes.

'_He's just like me…'_

Turning to the boy, he chuckled, shaking his head from side to side.

By the time the movie ended an hour and a half later, Dash had gotten over his bitterness, and, of course, was still wide awake, chattering up a storm on the way home in the car and still talking by the time they got home.

"That was a _great_ movie," he started as he rushed into the house, grinning.

"I second that!" Violet replied back. "And I loved the romance parts…" Nick rolled her eyes.

"I thought the storyline was a bit lacking…" he ventured.

"Hey, it's a kid's movie," Kyler cut in. "The lower the rating, the less creativity the creators generally have." Nick shrugged, understanding that sort of logic just barely.

Smiling at her kid's comments, Amy turned to Sonic and smiled at him happily for the first time since Cream had called saying that she couldn't babysit the kids.

"Sounds like they had a fun night," she whispered, for Samantha was asleep in Sonic's arms. Amy reached out a hand, caressing her daughter's small cheek lovingly.

"Yeah." He looked up at Amy then, also smiling. "An' it wasn't too bad for us either, was it?" He gazed into her eyes then, looking for her own thoughts within, and he was encouraged by her brightening smile.

"No, it really wasn't that bad." She allowed her eyes to linger with Sonic's another second, and then she rotated around, facing the children in the living room, still chatting about the movie.

"Guess what time it is?" she sung playfully, chuckling at the kids' synchronized protests.

"But I'm not tired!" Violet giggled. "Ya can't make me go ta bed." Sonic raised a playful eyebrow.

"Oh really?" A touch on his arm made Sonic look back at Amy.

"Let me put Samantha to bed, and I'll join ya with the others in a minute." Sonic nodded, and he carefully handed the sleeping child to Amy, who heading to the girl's room. Once there, she gently put the toddler down on her bed, tucking her in lovingly, kissing her forehead in the end.

Taking a step back, she gazed at the child in front of her, recalling the night in precise detail, starting with her excitement, ending with that exact moment in time, where the only sound she could hear was the hum of Samantha's rotating tropical fish nightlight. Her fingers traced Samantha's kitten-dotted bed sheets absently as she gazed at the dim room, taking in her daughter's stuffed animals sitting patiently on the shelves and her small set of books in the corner.

"I thought you were gonna come help me." A man's voice. Her husband's puzzled yet amused voice. She turned to him, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I guess I was just transfixed."

"In what?" he walked up beside her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know…tonight's just been so…emotional. You know? I just kind of felt like…I wasn't here. Like I was just a spectator."

"I get that feeling a lot," Sonic admitted. "Especially when I look at our family. When I see what we've created together. Ten years ago, I never would've imagined a night like tonight would be possible." He chuckled, staring down at Samantha's sleeping form. "I never would've imagined that I would end up being tired and yet…happy, after such a night. Particularly a night like tonight where it was just supposed to be us."

"We can still have a night to ourselves," Amy suddenly suggested. "We have movies that we could handle watching again, and the kids are all in bed now so as long as we don't make too much popcorn to lure Dash out of dreamland…" She bit her lip, embracing the silence. And then a soft reply:

"Yes." Sonic turned to his wife, grinning, beaming actually, and he leaned down and kissed her gently, loving the way her knees just seemed to give out the instant their lips touched. Steadying her, he pulled away. "I think we could find some kind of movie we'd both enjoy." Amy gazed up at him, also glowing, and she wrapped her arms around him as he leaned down a second time, wanting to never leave his presence, wanting him to hold her till eternity's end.

* * *

Samantha grinned as she watched the scene before her. Her parents may have thought she was asleep, but she'd only been half way there. The moment her father had put his arms around her, she'd woken, slowly, reluctantly, and by the time her mother had tucked her in, the only reason her eyes were closed was because she wanted her mother to think she really was asleep.

And because of this, she got to see her parents make-out right in front of her. It was extremely, _extremely_ hard, for her to _not_ squeal.

Again, thanks for the idea Therapy Angel! Hope I lived up to your idea. It was fun writing, and even a bit difficult. Thanks again, and thanks for reading, peeps!

~Ksonic~


	27. Just Kiss Me

List: Darkspine Sonic759, Therapy Angel, SilverDawn2010, Zeldaskeeper, and GalexiatheChao!

Thanks for the reviews, guys! I enjoyed 'em. And don't worry…I don't think I can write another long chapter like that for a LONG time. This chapter is like…I think half the pages I used that time. So you can breathe haha. But yeah, I had WAY too much fun with this chapter. So sue me; I think its Christmas. Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-seven

Just Kiss Me

He woke up slowly, surely, to the sound of Amy's soft breathing beside him. Shifting, he curled into a ball, conserving the heat within the bed as he sighed, content. He lay like this for another minute or so, before he dared open one forest green eye and poke his nose out of the covers. Tiredly, he smiled as his gaze met a frost covered window, and he shivered, thankful to be in a warm house, where the heater was currently blowing even more warm air into the master bedroom. Yawning, he looked over towards the alarm clock, which read 6:47 A.M., and in the back of his mind, Sonic registered that it was 6:47 A.M. on _Christmas_ morning.

Like a child he grinned, excitement growing from his warm toes up to his chilled nose. Again he shifted, and this time his gaze fell on Amy, his wife of almost two years, and he reached out a course hand, playing with her soft quills absently as he went through what today would be like.

First off, the presents with Amy, his two beautiful daughters, his sister-in-law, and his parent-in-laws. His eyes lit at the mere thought, excited for Kyler's reaction when she'd find a brand new tricycle and Violet's joy when she'd discover a new plush monkey (for she seemed to like monkeys these days, even at the tender age of thirteen months).

And then Amy's gift…he had had a hard time finding it. In fact, in the end, he had needed help from Cream and Jamie-who had become best friends a few years ago- on what to get her. He had never been good at the girly things; lotions and perfumes and what not, and as a boy, he wasn't expected to know which lotion rewarded a woman with the softest skin. But eventually he, Jamie, and Cream had managed to agree on the best scented perfume, and the best working lotions. Sure, it had been awkward, needing help from girls other than his wife (awkward didn't seem to cover it to Sonic), but it had been worth it, he figured. He hoped. And, along with the set of lotions and perfume, he had chosen _by himself_ a rather expensive set of earrings with a necklace to go with them.

In a way, he was a bit nervous about her response to the gifts. But Cream had assured him multiple times that she'd love them, and that he shouldn't fret, so he tried to stay nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

Impatient, he sighed, wishing that could rush down the stairs like a child would and start the day off. But Amy wasn't necessarily an early riser-at least, she didn't wake up at 6:47. Sonic had no idea about her parents and sister, but he had a feeling they'd sleep in for a while themselves. Kyler and Violet weren't old enough to even know that Christmas was _special_, so that left them out.

He looked up to the ceiling then, bored, but not enough to risk getting cold and wet by running outside in the fresh snow. Besides, he wanted the snow to stay fresh and natural; to be perfect by the time Amy would eye it and rush for the camera to take a picture. He knew sooner or later he'd be forced to go outside by Amy anyhow, where she'd make him help her build a snowman or where they'd start a snowball fight. Unlike Sonic, Amy had always been a softy for the snow and the nippy air; she loved coming in later from frolicking outdoors to the warm hot chocolate by the fireplace that never died down during the cold season. Not long ago, Amy had told him that her favorite part of the day was when she laid in bed, warm and cozy, half asleep, half awake, and she only got this feeling during the cold spell. He smiled at the memory, realizing that even though he wasn't staring at her sleeping form any longer, he was still fiddling with her quills, and he stopped suddenly and turned back to her, smiling lovingly.

He wondered sometimes what life would be like without her; where he'd be at that exact moment if she had never been born. And the thought overpowered his brain at that moment as he gazed at her, wanting to kiss her lips that so enticed him, wanting to hold her in his strong arms…

Realizing that he was getting nowhere, the blue hedgehog sighed as he sat up, being careful to not arouse Amy as his toes hit the cold floor. Shivering, he reached for a nearby blanket that his wife wasn't using, and he wrapped himself in the warm fleece, allowing himself to be drawn in by Amy's cherry scent. Whenever Sonic mentioned this, however, she'd always say that the blanket was full of his scent, not hers, but he could never tell, nor did he care, for he could smell her no matter what she claimed. Inhaling deeply, he walked out of the bedroom slowly, still partially asleep as he made his way to the Kyler's bedroom down the hall. Christmas lights twinkled uncertainly as he passed through the hall, and he smiled as he recalled putting the lights up just before going to bed the night before. Last year, Kyler had seemed enthralled by the "pee'y colwers", as she pronounced them, so Sonic had decided to make a tradition of the lights every year and put them up along the walls and staircase the night before Christmas, when the children were in bed, unaware of him and _his_ lights. Upon seeing him at work the night before, Amy had chuckled and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her nose in his warm fur.

"You're so funny," she had murmured lovingly, making him blush. His face flushed again at the memory as he passed the exact area she had said this, where his heart had suddenly been overpowered with a surge of love for her, and she him.

Reaching Kyler's door that stood ajar, he pushed it open just enough to gaze in on her sleeping form. Even though she didn't share blood with Amy, Kyler reminded Sonic so much of his wife whenever she slept, the way she curled her fists similarly to how Amy sometimes did, the way her mouth twitched into a smile for a few seconds as a dream would suddenly turn out just the way she wanted it. He wanted to walk in and take his daughter's hand in his, marvel at how big her fingers had gotten over the past two years, but he held back, seeing himself as only a spectator as he made sure to see her small chest move up and down in a rhythm. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he moved away from the door, and headed towards Violet's room only one door down. Again, he looked into the child's dim room, making sure the baby breathed as she shifted slightly, cooing softly in her sleep. A smile found its way onto the father's lips as he continued staring in on her, knowing that someday soon, he would look again at his daughter and see her at the alter, madly in love with some random hedgehog Sonic probably didn't even know existed at the current time.

He shook his head at the thought, surprised that he was already thinking so far into the future when normally he lived one day at a time, finding that it was easier to get by that way. Stepping back from her door, Sonic looked around the hall absently, as if looking for something, and his eyes were surprised when they caught Amy, also wrapped in a blanket, looking dead tired as she walked slowly towards him. Catching his gaze, she smiled at him tiredly as she let out a yawn, and upon reaching him, she set her head down on his chest, closing her weary eyes.

"I didn't hear you get up," he whispered.

"I heard you," she whispered back, eying him from three inches below. "And the bed suddenly got so much colder…" Sonic smiled, kissing her forehead before wrapping her in his arms, allowing his body heat plus the two blankets to warm her as she yawned again.

"What're you doing up?" she asked in his chest. He only barely managed to hear.

"You know me," he quipped softly. "I'm an early riser, especially on the holidays." Amy gasped, suddenly remembering.

"It's Christmas, isn't it?" Her question sounded more like a statement, and Sonic nodded, excitement dancing in his olive eyes.

"Oughta be fun this year," Sonic said, his toes wiggling in anticipation, and Amy laughed quietly, burying her cold fingers in his fur.

"The girls are gonna love their presents this year," she added. "You did good."

"Don't I always?" he teased. Before she could answer he quite randomly kissed her, deeply, passionately, so glad to have finally gotten her like he had wanted five minutes earlier when he had watched her sleeping soundly. Eagerly she kissed back, her tired phase seeming to just vanish within the thin air surrounding the two, and she grabbed at his chest as he gently placed cold hands onto her waist, making her shiver, and he pulled her closer to himself, wanting more of her, more of this bliss called love. Love used to be a word he did not understand, but now love was to him something that could never be put to words, but something that could be felt everyday, through the little things and through the big things.

He was the first to break away, panting, his hunger waning but still present, still very much alive. He stared into her eyes, only partially open as she caught her breath, clutching his chest fur firmly yet tenderly, something only she could pull off.

"That was unexpected," she murmured softly, almost timidly, not wanting to ruin the moment, the intensity. Sonic merely nodded, pondering on whether or not to do it again, to kiss her until his lungs burst, but instead he tightened his grip on her, as if protecting her, and he hugged her long and hard.

"I know." His voice was husky and full of love. "But you loved every second of it." She giggled, realizing only then that their blankets had sometime or other fallen to the ground below, and she blushed, comprehending that she was warm enough as it was. Reluctantly she pulled away from him, taking his hand in hers, their blankets forgotten outside of Violet's bedroom as she led him downstairs into the living room.

"What're you doing?" he voiced, still in a daze from earlier as he stumbled along behind her. Reaching the living room, she plopped down on the couch, reached for a present, and handed it to the stunned hedgehog.

"I'm too excited to wait," she giggled back, bouncing in her seat as he sat down beside her, their legs touching, and he took the present from her hands. He hardly even thought about asking if maybe they should wait for the rest of the family as he ripped the wrapping paper from the box, hands shaking in anticipation. Adrenaline still rushing through his system, he opened the box as carefully as he could, and he was surprised when he pulled out a blue alarm clock, which appeared to have _water_ in it.

"What's this?" he asked, confused, and Amy laughed beside him, grabbing onto his shoulders.

"An alarm clock," she answered. "An alarm clock with water in it."

"What?"

Amy put a hand to her mouth, trying to keep herself from bursting out with laughter, for she didn't want to wake her parents, sister, or the girls.

"You heard me," she continued when she could speak again. "Since you smashed the last alarm clock, I figured if I bought us-you specifically- an alarm clock made of water, you wouldn't break it for fear of getting water all over you." Sonic gaped at her, holding the odd gift loosely, and she giggled again. "Your welcome."

"You were the one who broke the last alarm clock!" Sonic protested, not angry but still going through shock. "Why torture _me_?"

"Aw, now come now. First off, _you_ know _you_ broke it, and second off, you love the gift." She rubbed his shoulders lovingly, resting her head on them as she peered down at the alarm clock. Slowly, Sonic shook his head in disbelief, and he chuckled.

"Fine," he muttered, still chuckling. "Fine, it's cool at least. Thanks, Ames."

"I knew you'd like it." She leaned down and kissed him, luring him in, but then she pulled away, giggling again at the pouty look he sent her way. Sighing a sigh of content, Sonic got up from his seat, put the alarm clock down on the ground, and he reached for one of Amy's gifts, holding in securely in his hand as he sat back down.

"I needed help with most of your gifts," he admitted shyly (if Sonic could ever be shy, that is), and he handed her the small box. "But this one I managed to find myself. I'm pretty proud of it, I must say." Amy rolled her eyes jokingly, and ripped off the wrapping paper quickly, excitedly, and her eyes met another box. Slowly, she opened it, and inside laid a beautiful light blue and white necklace made of some soft of crystal, with a matching pair of earrings. She gasped, putting a hand to her heart, and she hardly heard Sonic chuckle beside her.

"Oh, Sonic, it's beautiful!" she cried out, turning to him, her look saying it all.

"No need to thank me-" Sonic started, but then Amy was hugging him, glomping him to be precise, just like the good old days as he liked to call them, and he laughed out loud, trying hard to breath underneath her weight as he fell over backwards onto the couch.

"Thank you, sweetie," she murmured, kissing his cheek, and she pulled away, giggling at his look full of fake annoyance.

"Gosh, Ames, it wasn't that good of a gift," Sonic muttered, rubbing the cheek she had kissed in a bemused fashion. He sat up just enough so that he could breathe again, Amy sitting in his lap awkwardly. "But whatever. Glad ya like it so much."

"Of course I do," she stated simply, calming herself down. Sighing giddily, she was about to get up off of him, when Sonic reached out, grasping her face in his hands, blushing madly as he stared at her, seeming suddenly amazed.

"What is it?" she whispered, sensing a change in his mood as he caressed her cheeks softly, him blinking, looking confused and shocked.

"I just…" His words were thoughtful yet awkward, loving yet confused. "It's been so long since I've really…looked at you. I mean, I watch ya sleeping in the morning, and I see your face in passin'…and I did kiss ya." Here he paused, recalling the moment only ten minutes earlier, his face turning redder as the time proceeded. "But I…" Giggling softly, Amy reached up and put a finger over his lips, grinning.

"Stop," she murmured. "Stop talking and just kiss me already. You're better at that than talking about feelings."

A wide grin broke out on Sonic's muzzle, and he quickly leaned into her, loving the way her lips moved so well with his. Eagerly she wrapped her arms around his spiny back, not at all concerned about getting pricked since his guard was down, and he responded only by pulling her closer, by gripping onto her around the waist so tightly that there was no hope for her to escape even if she wanted to. He was like an addict: so absorbed was he by the way she felt in his arms and the way their tongues interacted that whatever lay in the outside world became nothing more than a blur; nothing more than a thing in his distant memory. It was like running with the wind, he mused, somewhere in the back of his mind. Like running, when everything was clear yet not, when everything was beautiful in ways others might not understand, when he was so full of energy and joy that he got lost-lost within himself on runs, but lost within Amy here, on Christmas day, when he and Amy were the only two _alive_.

He didn't know when he pulled away-and she didn't know either. But when he did, his thoughts were a whirlwind. What to say, to this woman before him, that he had learned to love with such passion? What could possibly turn her head, make her blush?

"I love you," he whispered, so full of this love, a concept he didn't know how he had survived without, years ago. "I love you. Do you know that?"

"I thought I said not to talk," she murmured back, obviously teasing, her voice chalked full of emotion. "But I love you too. An' I always will."

"Merry Christmas," he said, so quiet, so uncharacteristic. "And in five days, I'll say Happy New Year. And than two months and fourteen days after that-"

"You're ruining the moment," she giggled, burying her face inside his chest, a wave of love washing through her. This man that held her so close-when had he grown to become one? A man, that is? She could've sworn that last she checked, he was still that cocky little teenager she had crushed on. And then, he really hadn't changed; only grown into a lover. Something so foreign to him, not too long ago.

"But that's okay," she continued, reluctantly pulling away as her ears adjusted to sounds beside Sonic's deep breathing next to her- the sound of a running shower, the sound of stragglers waking to this beautiful morning. "Because it makes you funny." Sonic grinned cockily, allowing her to sit up, stand, and stretch. "But now…you ready for Christmas to begin? With everyone and not just us?"

"I suppose," he answered, winking as he stood. "Besides, I'm starvin'. We got any grub in this house?" She laughed, free and light, and he took her hand as they made their way into the kitchen, starting the day anew, the last however long it had been between them another whole day in the past. Because it deserved to be a whole other day to itself.

The sun streamed in through the kitchen window, announcing the morning, announcing the magic Christmas brought out of everyone. Sonic grinned, excitement growing, excited for this new day.

'_Let it begin…'_


	28. The Photo of Thanksgiving Part III

List: Xoxomtmodnarxoxo, Satora-wolf, SilverDawn2010, GalexiatheChao, and Darkspine Sonic759!

…Well, writer's block is evil. I think we all know that by now. But alas, after like, a month 'vacation' from the only fun part of my life, I'm back! Thank you reviewers for your reviews that were constantly hanging over me this past month reminding me to get back on the computer and write, for goodness sake. It helped, trust me. xD Anyway, this chapter was requested by **GalexiatheChao**! She wanted me to write a chapter on Thanksgiving in the Sonic family. Yeah, by now it's totally late for the season, but the idea was great and I wanted to and…so here we are. Now enough talk, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter twenty-eight

The Photo of Thanksgiving-Part IV

"I've got it!" Dash cried as he raced towards the ball flying in the air. Jumping up he reached for the football, but just as he was about to grab it a second blue blur rushed ahead, snatching the ball out of the boy's grasp.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Dash huffed as he landed back on the ground. Irritated, he raced after the culprit, tackling him to the ground only yards away from a touchdown.

"'Course it's fair," Flash replied back, a sideways grin on his dirt covered face. The six year old giggled, pushing his older brother off of him. "Right, Daddy? I didn't do anythin' wrong." Catching up to his two speedsters, Sonic grinned, a smirk so identical to Flash's that Dash had a bad feeling his father was siding for the younger of the two of them.

"C'mon Dad, you saw how he used his speed to his advantage," Rose whined, taking Dash's side, only because she was on his team, not Flash's.

"But Dash's used his speed all the time," Nick added coolly, a gentle grin etching his way onto his face. Rolling his eyes, Sonic glanced between the two different teams, oozing calmness. Being the referee really wasn't his thing, he figured, but he couldn't add his own speed to one team and not the other; that's what Amy said at least.

"I say that run didn't count," Sonic finally said, shaking his head firmly, his eyes sparkling in the midday sun. "Rerun."

"Aww, come on!" Dash pouted, but regardless he obeyed as he headed back to the thirty-second yard line, where the ball had been not two minutes ago. Playfully, he glowered at Flash, eyeing him suspiciously as Kyler, the quarterback for his team, began the count off.

"Hut hut!" Kyler yelled suddenly, and Dash was off, running towards the end zone with all his heart.

"I'm open!" he screamed, waving his hands in the air. But then Kyler was throwing the ball in the opposite direction, and with a start Dash realized she was throwing it at Rose. At first, he felt hurt. After all, he was the best runner on their team. But then he smirked lightly, understanding her thought process, and he zoomed off towards the other team's defense, blocking them with the wind his speed produced.

"Not fair!" he heard Violet giggle loudly before engulfing her in his dust, and he turned just enough to see Rose jump into the end zone dramatically.

The whistle blew, and then, "Touchdown!" sounded from Sonic. Giggling manically, Dash pumped a fist into the air.

"Who's cooler now, Flash?" he teased his younger brother, and Flash frowned, his competitive side getting the best of him.

You're going down, the child mouthed, and Dash merely smirked as he reached Rose to congratulate her with the rest of his team.

"Ya got three minutes to gwet bwetter," Samantha, the score keeper of the game, said to Flash and his team.

"How far behind are we?" Violet asked her little sister, and she leaned over towards her to try and read the toddler's messy penmanship. "Sam…that says we're ninety-nine points from them." The violet one blinked in surprise as Samantha nodded her head calmly.

"They'z a lot bwetter."

"Gimme that thing," Flash sighed, and he yanked the scoreboard sheet from her hands, glancing at it irritably. "Sam, how much are the touchdowns worth?"

"Ninety-nine ewch," she replied, a little upset that everyone was making such a big deal over nothing.

"Then we're only a touchdown off!" Nick calculated, grinning madly. "We can do that."

"We need a plan," Violet whispered, pulling her brother's into a huddle group. "An' it's gotta be fool-proof."

"You mean Dash-proof."

"Whatever," Violet sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sam, go distract Dash's team or somethin'. We can't have you hearin' our plan and than spoiling it."

"Hwey-"

"Go on!" Violet whispered hastily, shooing her sister away. "You'll be a big help if ya do." Wanting to be a help, Samantha smiled and skipped off to distract the other team. Violet grinned, turning back to her two younger brothers.

"Ok, so here's the plan…"

"'K kids, time's up!" Sonic hollered a minute later, blowing the whistle. "Mom wants us done in five minutes tops. Get in your places."

"Everyone understand?" Violet whispered hastily to the boys, and they nodded. High-fiving both, Violet jogged her way to her position of defense, watching Nick beside her as he began the countdown. Adrenaline rushed through her; this was the _last_ run. No reruns. No second chances. Not unless they got a touchdown and went on overtime. But then, they were all about to go in for turkey and stuffing with their family and friends-

'_No.'_ She shook her head violently, trying to clear her mind. This was _not_ the time to be thinking about turkey.

"Hut!" Nick cried, and Violet was off, blocking Kyler the best she could from tackling their quarterback. Anxiously, she glanced behind her to see Dash right on Flash's heels. There was no way he'd be able to catch the football with their other brother hovering by him.

Smirking lightly, she made one last effort of pushing Kyler away before she took off running, allowing her legs to try and go up to a speed that would envy even Dash. Without Violet blocking Kyler, Nick made a desperate attempt to throw the ball towards the purple one, and she caught it just as Kyler tackled the boy to the ground, bemused upon seeing no ball in her younger brother's arms.

Jumping into the air, Flash pretended to have caught the ball, confusing Dash as he ran after his brother who took the longest way he could towards the end zone. Meanwhile, Violet continued running, ignoring Rose's yells of exasperation from behind her as she tried catching up. Without Dash to chase the runner, Kyler's team was doomed, and Violet laughed, amused that her petite plan was actually working.

Flash was two yards from the end zone just as Violet dived for it, and Dash tackled his little brother, still thinking that he held the ball somewhere within his arms.

"Ha!" Dash cried triumphantly, grinning madly. "You really think you can outrun me?"

"Vi seems to be able to," Flash replied back, and he grinned, laughing so hard his sides began to hurt, and Dash looked around, alarmed and confused when he spotted Violet two yards ahead, with the football in _her_ hand.

"Tockdoon!" Samanatha called excitedly as she ran towards Violet, squeezing her happily around the middle. "Ya did i'!"

"It's not over yet, Sam," Violet explained, chuckling. "We're tied now. We gotta do one more play before one of us wins."

"But first," Sonic interrupted, as he made his way towards the end zone, Nick holding his hand, "we gotta go in for dinner. You know how Mom is; we can't be late, 'specially today."

"Awww," Flash mumbled, and he got up from the ground, wiping away the dirt and grass that clung to his spines. "Do we have ta?"

"Hey, it ain't that big a deal," Sonic explained, getting down to Flash's level. "After dinner we'll all come back here and finish the game. And then everyone else can see your last runs." He grinned, running a hand through the boy's messy spines. "Sound good?"

"Sure," Flash answered, and the kids and the father all started heading back home, Samantha taking her father's other free hand.

By the time the family had reached home, Amy was in hysteria mode as she put on the last finishing touches for the meal.

"Jamie called ten minutes ago, saying she'll be late," she explained to Sonic as she put him to work. She handed him the stuffing, shooing him towards the extended dining room table. "Mom and Dad will be here any minute now, and knowing Tails he and Tia will be too, unless of course he got caught up in one of his machines again. Cream-"

A warm finger suddenly fell on her lips, and Sonic smiled warmly at her, his face cocky yet calm.

"Chill," he whispered, dropping his finger from her mouth only to caress her cheek. "We're doing fine. Heck, we're ahead of schedule." Amy nodded, smiling weakly back at him, forcing herself to take a deep breath. The holidays were stressful, sure, but she hated making them so. Again she nodded and turned back to the food.

"Mom, the table's all set!" Dash cried as he ran into the kitchen, and Amy turned to face him.

"Good job," she replied. "Do you have any idea where Flash is?" The boy shrugged.

"Beats me," he answered, and then he laughed as he turned to leave the room. "Pft, yeah right, like he'd ever _beat_ _me_."

"I'll go find him," Sonic said. As he was about to leave, he took hold of her arm. "Remember: it only seems stressful." Gently he kissed the tip of her fingers, his eyes on her the whole time, and then he winked, playful, carefree like always, and he ran off in search of Flash. Amy laughed. It was always like him to get her out of stressful moods.

A minute later the doorbell rang, and Dash ran ahead to get it. By then, Sonic had found Flash and had managed to get the hedgehog into the bathroom for a much needed shower, making him the only one not ready by the time Dash opened the door to Barbara and Howard.

"Grandma, Grandpa!" the blue hedgehog cried, and he leaped into his grandmother's arms. Laughing, she held her grandson close, amazed with how big he'd gotten in only the last three months, glad he still willingly hugged her. Pulling back, the boy grinned, and then ran into the house. "Mom, Grandma and Grandpa are here!"

"Well, let them in!" Amy called back, making Barbara laugh at her daughter's shallow order, and she allowed herself in, hanging her coat on the coat rack beside Howard's.

"Smells good, Amy!" she called, and suddenly Violet was hugging her, giggling, glad to see her.

"Grandma, did ya bring the pie?" the girl asked, anxious, excited.

"I got it right here." The women bent down to show the child her famous apple pie, and the hedgehog sniffed it cautiously, allowing herself to lick her lips.

"When can we eat it?"

"After dinner, dear, when we all have had enough time to digest all that turkey and stuffing." She poked her granddaughter's stomach for emphasis, and the girl giggled, rushing away, for she was ticklish. Smiling, Barbara made her way into the kitchen, placing her pie on the counter next to all the other countless dishes of food laid out. "My, you've been busy," she spoke admirably, and Amy turned to her mother, smiling tiredly.

"You've no idea," she replied as she hugged her mother. "Sonic and the kids helped me in the morning before caring out the tradition."

"Tradition?" Barbara didn't recall any tradition in the Hedgehog family without her, Howard, and the rest of the old Sonic Team.

"You know," Amy started. "The Kid Kickoff. Or, that's what Sonic calls it anyway. He lets the kids play their own football game, since they can't join the adults yet. They love it, so I couldn't let them _not_ go play." She shrugged, and turned back to the oven to pull out the last platter. "Besides, it's easier for me when I don't have anyone running through the kitchen stealing bits of turkey."

"I bet it is," Barbara sympathized. Just then the doorbell rang again, and this time Violet was the first one to the door, much to Dash's dismay.

"Uncle Tails!" she cried, and similarly to how Dash had lunged at their grandmother, she half-tackled the kitsune in a big hug. Tia stood shyly behind Tails, answering the child's smile towards her with her own grin, and she fluffed Violet's spines. "Aunt Tia, you _have_ to come see what I drew the other day. Momma says it's my best drawing _ever_."

"Can't wait," Tia replied, and she handed the green beans to Tails, not waiting around for his response as she followed her little niece up to her bedroom to see the fabled drawing.

Shrugging, Tails made his way into the kitchen, running into Sonic on the way who was chasing Flash with a towel.

"Flash, c'mon, you don't want the whole house wet, do ya?" he called after the boy as he stopped in front of Tails, and he sighed, shrugging. "Kids, y'know?" Tails laughed. "I tell ya, when Tia has your kid your life won't be yours anymore."

"But you love it that way," Tails replied, eyes twinkling, and Sonic shrugged, his own eyes lighting up. He could never stay mad long at kids; he'd never been able to, even as a teenager. Kids, although annoying sometimes, had a way of making him want to protect them. They were so helpless and so carefree, for they were too young to completely understand the harshness of the real world. Suddenly Flash zoomed up to his father and snatched the towel away as he shivered, water dripping off of his spines onto the floor.

"You gonna make me clean your mess?" Sonic questioned the child, foot tapping, and Flash shook his head slowly, allowing his body to receive warmth.

"No. I'll clean up the wet spots," Flash replied as he headed back to the bathroom for another towel.

"That a boy," Sonic encouraged, patting the cold hedgehog on the back. "Hurry it up now. We don't got a lotta time." The blue hedgehog turned back to Tails, shrugging. "Now, if only it was always that easy."

"Sonic, you're making me feel nervous for my own kid!" Tails exclaimed, and Sonic laughed, ruffling his brother's bangs as if he were five years old again. Tails rolled his eyes, not allowing Sonic to know how he actually enjoyed it when Sonic acknowledged those days.

"Well then, take this into consideration," Sonic started, "kids are soemthin' that'll drive you insane, make you wanna scream and pull your spines or fur out, make you cry even. But they're not something to be taken for granted over." Sonic glanced at Kyler who sat in the living room for a second, recalling for a moment all the drama that had occurred just to keep her alive. "You'll love him-or-her- Tails. There's no escaping it now." Tails nodded awkwardly, his focus on his wife. In only three month, that baby inside her…would enter the world. Change his life, as Sonic said.

The sound of the doorbell brought the kitsune out of his thoughts, and he turned to see Dash open the door to Cream, her mother, and Knuckles who stood behind her.

" Grandma, Aunt Cream, Uncle Knux!" Dash cried, hugging his 'aunt' and 'grandma', but merely shaking Knuckles' hand, eying him up and down cockily. "Where's that big shiny rock of yours, eh?" Knuckles forced a strained smile.

"At the shrine," he replied, letting go of the boy's hand. He wearily watched Vanilla make her way into the kitchen with her and Cream's food, and he wished he could've followed her, instead of being blocked by Dash.

"Hey, Knux, long time no see!" Sonic called, waving at his old friend. "How's that ol' rock o' yours doing? Still shiny?"

"You just stay in your own business," the echidna grumbled, turning even redder than he already was as everyone around began laughing.

"Can you tell we love you, Uncle Knuckles?" Dash asked in fake politeness, grinning.

"Oh yeah," he replied sarcastically. "I can tell alright." Walking into the kitchen, he set his store bought cookies on the counter. Amy had said he could only come if he brought something edible-besides the leaves he munched on by the shrine, that is. After a long dispute between him and Amy-which almost involved a hammer- Knuckles had decided that it really wouldn't be _too_ much trouble to at least buy something at a grocery store. So that's what he had done.

"Don't worry, we didn't forget you, Cream," Kyler said, as she turned to her favorite aunt. "What's new?"

"Nothing much, dear," Cream replied. "Still working in that coffee shop…"

"The best coffee shop in town," Kyler put in, smirking. "That is, if I liked coffee." That earned her a laugh from Cream.

"Yes, it is the best in town, I'd have to agree," she said.

"Is it time to eat yet?" Rose asked as she walked into the room, wearing a pretty red dress Amy had specifically chosen for the holiday. Nick followed behind her, tugging impatiently at his shirt's collar. "I'm hungry!"

"Just as soon as your aunt Jamie gets here," Sonic answered. "An' don't even think about tryin' to steal some of the turkey in the kitchen, or Mom'll skin ya alive." He winked playfully at the children.

And then finally, the last ring of the doorbell sounded, and Dash, like usual, opened the door to find Jamie.

"Well it's about time," he said impatiently as she bent over and hugged him, and she laughed nervously.

"Sorry I'm late," she called, her hands holding a large dish of stuffing. "Got stuck in traffic coming back from the office."

"I still don't know why you work there," Barbara sighed as she took her daughter's dish from her, putting it into the kitchen. "I had thought you'd hate any kind of work with business in the name." Jamie shrugged, removing her gloves and scarf and placing them on the coat rack.

"Must be in my blood," she said, unfazed. She turned to the rest of the family then, grinning as she saw the rest of the kids and Tia walk into the room, as if they all knew it was time to eat without Amy's summoning.

"Well, now that we're all here…" Amy said as she walked into the living room with everyone else. "How about we all find our seats? 'Cause sure, it'd be nice to hang around and chat, but we'll be doing that while we eat anyway."

"'Bout time!" Dash exclaimed, and before Amy could say another word he zoomed off and found his seat at the second table. The family and friends laughed at his antics, and then quickly found their own seats. Once all seated, they all turned to Sonic, the 'man' of the house. The blue hedgehog laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Hurry it up, Dad," Flash spoke up, impatient as always as he stared forlornly at all the food in front of him.

"Erm…so we really want me to do it?" For once, the hedgehog wasn't so keen on all the attention, and Knuckles laughed in his seat, already reclining against it.

"Go on, swift one," he joked, and Sonic frowned at him before closing his eyes, reaching for Amy and Rose's hands beside him, bowing his head.

"Dear Heavenly Father," he started, hearing the uneasiness in his voice strengthen as he continued on. "We thank you for the food you've provided for today, and all our family and friends. Thank you for keeping us all safe an' secure so far in this year; Tia's pregnancy, Jamie's new job, Howard's retirement, Tails' workshop not going up in flames when Flash messed with some fire there the other day…" Soft laughter filled the tables, and Flash flushed, embarrassed. "So yeah…thanks that we haven't had an Eggman replacement since…well, a while by now. Help us to have fun today, and to not eat so much that we cancel the football game…'cause that would be a bummer. Amen."

A chorus of amen's followed, and then the eating of the food began. Within seconds Dash and Flash had their plates stacked high with stuffing, turkey, and mashed potatoes, and it was a wonder that they had room for the apple pie at the end of the day. Samantha gingerly chewed on a few pieces of turkey, mixing the stuffing with the mashed potatoes and gravy in her spines before Amy had a chance to stop her. At that, even Knuckles couldn't help but crack a smile.

And as they ate at the dinner table, laughing, joking, remembering the good old days-the glory days, as Sonic always called them- Amy slowly felt the stress of the day fall off her shoulders. There was so much to be thankful for on this glorified day; she couldn't let the stresses of the season bring her down, not when they had only just started. She forced herself to not think about Christmas and all the demands that would be put on her then, and Sonic, seeming to sense her shifting mood, reached over and took her hand in his under the table. She blushed slightly, having never gotten used to his loving acknowledgements around the group. As the blue hedgehog continued his story on Rose's bad hair day three years prior (after all, Samantha's antics had to bring along kid stories from both father and mother), she turned to him, ever so slightly, and smiled. This man who held her hand in his…she loved him. Blunt, but at the time, she couldn't think of anything else. Sonic had always been one to sense trouble-Eggman trouble and mood trouble- and ever since they had first gotten together, so many years ago it hurt to count through them in her mind, he'd been there for her at her best and her worst. Hammer days, romanticizing days, hatred and loving days, hopeless days, strange days, and yes, even bad hair days. She smiled at the thought, squeezing her husband's hand, and even as he continued speaking he chanced a sideways glance at her, squeezing her hand back.

Kyler, who sat by Tails and Nick, suddenly looked up from her meal, blinking at her parents. Her father, although still rambling on about Rose's awful hair day (one of the worst and craziest days of her memory, and she wasn't even Rose), seemed distracted, and the girl suddenly noticed that the blue hedgehog had part of his attention on the family and friends, and part of it specifically on her mother. How she figured this out and no one else did, the girl would never know, but suddenly she had the urge to capture this moment in time between her parents, _forever_. In fact, this whole Thanksgiving day would be nice to capture.

Without even asking if she could be excused, the blue hedgehog rushed out of her chair, running to her room.

'Ky?" Violet called after her, but she didn't follow, too stunned to. Although a bit surprised at first, Violet noticed everyone merely blink and continue on with the conversation. Shrugging, she was again surprised when Kyler came back again, much quieter returning than leaving, and she snuck up behind her parents, eyeing them like she were a scientist.

"Kyler, whatcha doin'?" Flash asked, and just as Sonic turned around to face his daughter, she snapped her very first photo on her new camera, given to her on her birthday not two weeks ago. Sonic raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly.

"Glad to see you're finally using that thing," he remarked. "But what were you trying to get?"

"You and Mom," the child replied, a bit embarrassed, and she hid the camera behind her back, her face flushed.

"Me an' Mom?" the blue hedgehog asked, still confused. "Why? I mean, it's not like we're doing anything picture worthy…" Slowly, almost hesitantly, the child pointed at her parents' joined hands.

"Aww, how cute," Knuckles joked teasingly, smirking at the pair. "What else have you two been doing while we supposedly heard a story about bad hair days, hmm?" At this, both tables began howling, and Sonic playfully glared at the echidna, his grip on Amy's hand not slacking at all by the remark. If anything, the pressure built.

"You an' me, in fifteen minutes," Sonic dared, smirking dangerously. "Football field in the park. We'll see who's cooler after that." This only made the tables laugh all the harder. It had been ages it seemed since the two had fought with an audience to cheer one or the other.

Kyler, sensing the tables' attention back to her parents and not her, went in for the kill a second time. This time, she made sure she wasn't being watched as she took her second picture of her parent's holding hands underneath the table. With the flash blinding the room, she bounded off to her bedroom to escape another embarrassing blush on her muzzle. She giggled the entire way up, proud of herself for saving such a memory on such a day as Thanksgiving. She'd have to start making a habit of these photos, she figured.

Of course, she didn't know she actually would.

* * *

Thanks again for the idea, **GalexiatheChao**! I'll try and get your second request up faster this time! Hope you guys all enjoyed.

~Ksonic~


	29. Snow Fun

List: Satora-wolf, Xoxomtmodnarxoxo, Darkspine Sonic759, SilverDawn2010, and GalexiatheChao!

Thanks guys! Here's a little drabble I pulled together about Christmas and snow. I got the idea while looking at a comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes. In it, Calvin asks his Dad if he'll come outside and play with him in the snow. This is basically the Dash and Amy version of that same comic. I would give you a link, but I can't find it via online, so, sorry! Enjoy anyway, and onwards, march!

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Chapter twenty-nine

Snow Fun

The boy was very, very excited. After all, the weatherman hadn't forecasted snow for today's weather, and he hadn't seen snow _forever_. It was even a lot, too! He guessed there might've been six inches of fresh powder, which beckoned to him to come out and play in it. Anxiously, he pulled his hat and gloves on, shrugged a coat onto his skinny body, and he was about to reach for the doorknob leading him out into pure bliss, when he stopped suddenly.

It'd be nice to have his two older sisters outside with him, he figured. They could help him build a snowman. But they were both off to school, the lucky ducks, and he huffed, realizing they wouldn't be home in time for his patience to not wear out. Slouching down to the ground by the door, he sighed, lonesome. Ever since the girls had gone off to school, he'd been so lonely. There had been no one at home for him to interrogate, to annoy, to play with, to even hug.

And then it hit him. His Mom was available! Maybe she'd like to come outside and play with him. Grinning from ear to ear, he pushed himself off the floor, and excitedly ran into the living room where his mother was reading a book peacefully by the small fire.

"Mom, Mom!" he cried, skidding to a halt in front of her. Glancing up, his mother smiled at him, and she set the book down on her lap, her fingers marking her page.

"What is it, Dash?" she asked.

"Will ya come out an' pway with me in t'e snow?" he pleaded, his eyes growing wide. "Pre''y please?" He watched as her smile faltered, and she glanced down at her book, then back at him.

"Well, honey, my book's just getting to the good part," she replied, biting her lip. "See, look, I'm almost done with the book. And that means I'm at the good part." She showed him her page number, and the child's smile slowly faded.

"So, you won't?" His voice was hardly above a whisper, and his gaze fell to the floor. His mother sighed.

"You'll have fun by yourself, honey," she spoke gently. "You're a big boy, right?"

"Right," he mumbled, but unlike other times she'd say those words to make him do something independently, his gaze didn't meet hers. Sighing, the boy shuffled off. "I'll be outside. Alone. In the cold."

"Have fun," she said, guilt gnawing at her, but still she did not get up and follow him outside. As she had told the child, her book had finally decided to get interesting, the first time in two hundred pages. She couldn't just put the book down _now_, just to go freeze her tail off so her son would be happy. No, Dash would be okay, she figured, and with that thought in mind, she picked her book back up and began to read.

But after trying to understand the first sentence five times, she sighed and looked towards the window.

Outside lay probably six inches of fresh snow, messed up only by Dash's few footprints. Spotting her son, she watched him as he rolled together some snow, attempting the beginning of a snowman. She smiled at him warmly as he struggled to pack the snow together, failing in the end, and she watched him kick the snow irritably, impatient with it already.

Before she knew what she was doing, she set the book down, reached for her coat and mittens, and opened the front door, walking calmly towards the irked child, who leaned against a tree, contemplating his next plan of attack on the snow.

"You could always do it this way," she advised him, and Dash looked up, perplexed at seeing his mother outside and not inside reading her book. He watched with wonder as her two hands gathered together a small ball of snow, gently yet firmly squashing it all together. "See? Nothing to it." She showed him the ball of snow, no bigger than an average snowball, and the boy grinned.

"'ike this?" he asked, and he reached out with two gloved hands for a pile of snow, shoving it all together. His grip being too hard, the snow fell apart easily, sliding through his hands, and the boy sighed.

"Try it like this," Amy said gently, and she took his two hands in hers, noting the size difference only vaguely as she made him scoop up some of the white powder. Gently she had him mesh the snow together, until it formed a sloppy snowball. "See? Not too hard is it?" The boy shook his head, giggling.

"This is cool!" he exclaimed joyfully. Looking up at his mother, his grin turned into a smirk as he suddenly raised his arm, and threw the snowball right at her.

"Dash!" Amy cried, wiping the snow from her face, only to see a hysterical boy laughing beside her. "Oh, you think this is funny do you?" She reached down onto the ground and quickly formed another snowball, aimed, and sent it swirling at Dash. Hitting him square in the stomach, the boy whined pitifully, laughter ringing in the cold afternoon air, and he struggled to get up as Amy sent more and more snowballs his way.

"No fair!" he giggled as he rushed away. Quickly, using his speed to his advantage, he built a snow fort to block the incoming snowballs, and anxiously he began to try and make a snowball just like his mother had showed him. Miraculously, it worked, and the boy sent it spiraling towards his mother, who by now had discovered her son's fort and was rushing towards it to knock it down. "Take that!" he cried out competitively, pumping a fist in the cold air as the snow hit its mark.

"You're going down!" she laughed, and upon reaching his fort, she jumped over its two-foot wall, and reached for the startled boy, who zipped out of her grasp just in time.

"Try an' catch me!" he cried as he ran off. She rolled her eyes, knowing that even as a three year old Dash was too fast for her, and she waited for him to come back and run around her, sending snow in all directions. When he did two seconds later, she reached out into the snow and wind, and somehow amazingly grabbed the surprised child around his waist, causing him to slip and fall.

'Caught you!" she cried out triumphantly, and immediately she set out on tickling the boy, who's giggling only encouraged her to continue despite his protests.

Anxious to be free, Dash wiggled with all his might, and finally managed to get free from his mother's grasp. He let out a joyful cry before he raced away again, hoping to have enough time to make another snowball for his Mom. But instead:

"Alright, Dash, you win. Whatta say we call a truce an' start making a snowman?"

The boy shrugged and walked over to his Mom to shake her hand, eyeing her suspiciously lest she make any wrong moves. When she didn't, he brightened, liking the idea of making a snowman with her. Grinning, he immediately set to work, allowing Amy to help him smash the snow together until it formed three large balls of snow, which made up the snowman's body.

"I'll find some pebbles for his face and two arms, and you can go get a carrot from the refrigerator," Amy planned, and the boy nodded before rushing back to the warm house. He was careful not to get a lot of snow or mud inside the house before grabbing the snowman's orange nose from the fridge, and he raced back outside to see his Mom working on the snowman's arms.

"Got it!" he cried out excitedly. Without a word, Amy finished her job, and then picked up young Dash. Gently, Dash reached out to stick the carrot into the snowman's face. He giggled as he let go of the orange carrot, and Amy set him back down on the cold ground, where they stood back and looked at their creation.

"It's still missing one thing," Amy mused, and she took off her hat, placing it on the three foot tall snow creature. She took a step back, admiring the snowman. "What should we call him?" she asked the boy, who stood by her, for once not objecting to holding her hand, but welcoming it.

"Blizz," he answered, nodding his head firmly, confirming his choice. "I' sounds 'ike bliss, which is how snow makes me 'eel, and i's 'ike blizzard."

"That's a deep name, Dash," Amy verified. "Where did you pick up the word bliss?"

"Dad," the boy answered. He reached out a gloved hand, smoothing down the snowman's midsection. So gentle, Amy mused. He was being so gentle.

"What did he say about the word bliss?" she asked, still confused over the boy's remarkable vocabulary. After all, he was only three years old.

"He saidz you's 'ike bliss," he replied, and he continued stroking down the snowman as Amy blinked in surprise. Sonic referred to her as _bliss_? _To a three year old_? "Mama, cwan we make Blizz a friend?" Amy blinked, forcing herself to register back into the real world.

"Sure," she answered him, smiling down at the boy in front of her. It occurred to her suddenly, however, that she hadn't wanted to come outside in the first place. Inside sat an unfinished book, a dwindling fire to attend to, supper to start preparing…But one look at Dash's overjoyed face led her to continue, saying, "And while we're at it, we can make him a whole family."

And suddenly Dash was whooping and hugging her knees, giggling so zealously that Amy wondered if he would start running around in circles next. But then he let go of her, and he immediately began packing together snow. Smiling, the mother bent down next to her son, packing the snow along with him.

It wasn't like her book had to be turned into the library tomorrow. And if need be the family could have leftovers for supper. But Dash…he wouldn't stay this way forever, she realized. Already he was a child who preferred his freedom to his mother's hugs, and though Amy didn't mention it much to Sonic, she missed the days when the boy would randomly come up and hug her, say he loved her.

An hour later, three more snowmen had been made, in all two females and two males, according to Dash. By then, the sun was starting to set, and Amy knew the rest of the family was due home any minute. Half frozen, the mother and son raced each other back to the house, Dash winning by a long shot, and he giggled manically as Amy unlocked the door to the house. Immediately the two were hit by a wave of warmth. Struggling to take off his mittens, Amy helped the boy remove his winter clothing, and once done she had him sit down on the couch, a blanket wrapped tightly around his small frame. Hot chocolate soon sat before both of them, and Dash took periodic cautious sips of the warm liquid as he chatted to his mother about this and that, glad for her undying attention, for it certainly didn't occur every day. The fire, now restored, cast shadows in the darkening room, and Dash yawned frequently, his afternoon nap having been skipped for the sake of the snowmen.

"Mama?" he asked suddenly, his eyes growing heavier by the minute. Without warning he crawled across the couch, filling in the space between himself and Amy, and he cuddled up next to her. Confused, Amy blinked in surprise, before she gently began scratching behind his ears. It was a gesture of love she'd often used on the boy before, when he was too tired to resist her touch, and she was grateful for his weariness as he settled, sighing in relaxation. "Mama?" he repeated, although by now his voice was muffled. "Why'd ya come outside with me? Iz thought you was readin'n."

"I was," she answered calmly, quietly, not wanting to arouse him. "But I knew I could finish reading later." A silence followed for a minute.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

Dwid ya have fun?"

"Yes, Dash," she replied as her fingers continued scratching his ears lovingly. "Yes, I had a lot of fun."

The boy let it go at that, and he sighed again, content. Vaguely, he knew his mother stroked his ears, but he had no desire to push her hand away like he normally would. For once he was happy to just lie there, let his eyes close and dreamland conquer him.

His last thought before he completely surrendered to sleep revolved around snowmen, mittens, a cold nose, and warm hot chocolate with his mother beside a fire. And then he let go, smiling gleefully. This was what the season of winter was all about, he figured.


	30. WakeUp Rule

List: Darkspine Sonic759, GalexiatheChao, Satora-wolf, SilverDawn2010, Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23, and Xoxomtmodnarxoxo!

Ahg…late by 2 hours. Sigh…oh well. Merry late Christmas, my readers! This chapter probably takes a different twist then you might think, so, sorry **GalexiatheChao** if this wasn't what you were looking for…I still had fun writing it. Onwards, march!

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Chapter twenty-nine

Wake-Up Rule

It was six-thirty in the morning when it all began. The sun hadn't yet risen, it being too early for it to do so during the winter season, but even so a light was suddenly switched on in the Hedgehog house.

Dash the Hedgehog had hardly gotten a wink of sleep the night before, and the instant he turned on his lamp, any weariness left instantly rushed away. Grinning, the boy giggled. He knew what day today was, and he turned to his clock, hoping to read a reasonable hour to wake his parents up. But alas, the clock read 5:38 A.M., and his giggling ceased entirely. Huffing impatiently, he crossed his arms, allowing himself to sink back into his warm covers. Of course, it just had to be an hour before his parents would let him wake them up. The rule of 6:30 had been set only last year, but he would have no leeway over forgetting, for the rule had been pounded into the hedgehog's mind day after day.

"Don't forget," his Dad had reminded him last night, while making sure the boy was in his bed and not pacing his room, waiting for tomorrow to arrive. "The rule's 6:30. No earlier."

"It's not like you'd mind," the boy muttered back, staring down at his feet. "You wake up at 5:30 practically every day anyway."

"_Without_ waking Mom," Sonic reminded him for the thousandth time. This conversation had become a popular one between himself and Dash in the last weeks. "Try an' get some sleep. Come tomorrow mornin' you'll be needing it."

And so, the six year old had tried his best to get some rest. He forced himself to not open his eyes for five minutes, he counted sheep, he made his mind blank…but no matter what he'd done, the image of new running shoes or Christmas cookies or even a toy football ran through his mind. There was no escaping the truth in the boy's mind; Christmas would be tomorrow. No matter how hard he tried he could _not_ push that one thought out of his mind.

And so he'd suffered two and a half hours, before finally, finally, drifting off into an unstable sleep, dreaming of ham and popcorn and Santa and reindeer. Being such a light sleeper, he awoke at about 3:00 A.M. to the sound of something-or someone- downstairs, making an awful racket. But he'd been too tired at that point to get up and investigate a small noise. For all he knew, it could've been Santa leaving, and there was no point tempting himself by going down to see the presents _hours_ before the wake-up call would be allowed.

Of course, here he was, only two and a half hours later, wide awake and ready for action. He wondered then why his Dad wasn't up, at least taking a short run in the snow. Christmas seemed to be one of the only days Dash knew his father to stay in bed an extra hour, which was peculiar, because the boy knew from experience that his Dad loved Christmas almost as much as he did. Why would he sleep longer than all the kids?

But, Dash reminded himself, it's not like it mattered. His Dad was still asleep, that was that, and there was no way Dash could wake him up right then and not expect to get in trouble in some form.

"You're getting too old for this, Dash," the boy recalled his mother telling him last Christmas, when he'd woken them at 5:34 to the second, unable to wait another minute. "I mean, really honey, you're going to turn six in two weeks!"

To Dash, six years old seemed like a great age to still wake up parents. He argued that he had friends who still did-and he _did_. He wasn't lying in this case.

"You're not your friends though, sport," his father had replied back good naturally, after glancing at Amy to make sure that's what he wanted her to say.

After all the arguments between himself and his parents, Dash had finally come to terms with it. No, he didn't understand it, per say,-again, his father was capable of waking up that early- but he _did_ understand that his parents weren't going to be flexible in this area. Which was, as he had worded to his parents, a mighty shame.

"Nice word choice," his father had chuckled, but there had been no changes.

Agonized to the point of desperation, Dash swung his legs over the bed and stretched, before he began pacing. He'd come to realize over the years that pacing really didn't help that much, but it was better than sitting and twiddling his thumbs. He huffed periodically as he continued pacing, glancing at the clock anxiously every minute or so, only to be angered further every time he saw the current time. This just wasn't fair. How could they put a time limit on Christmas? Technically, it had arrived the moment he fell asleep. But no. They had to set a dumb, pointless—

A sudden loud noise forced Dash out of his thoughts, and his ears twitched uncertainly as he gazed at his door, curious as the sounds of hollering and shouting increased, until he was certain he knew what was going on. Frowning, he ran to his door, practically breaking it down as he opened it, and he ran out, following a blue streak as it raced to his parents' bedroom. Taking a leap, Dash reached out for the streak, somehow managing to catch it by the legs, and the two blue hedgehogs went crashing to the ground.

"Da-a-ash!" the four year old whined beneath his brother, and he shoved his older brother off of him. "Get off! What was 'hat all 'bout?"

"What do ya think you're doing, headin' to Mom and Dad's room?" the older of the two screeched, growling angrily. "Ya can't wake 'em up! It's fourty-six minutes too early!"

"Forty-five, and that's only your dumb rule," Flash answered back coolly, frowning back at Dash.

"No it ain't, it's the girls' too!"

"Do I look 'ike a girl to ya?"

"Yes!"

"Well I will 'ave ya know, I weren't the only one headin' to 'heir room!" Flash hollered angrily, yanking himself out of his brother's grip. Before Dash could stop him, the child ran off to their parent's bedroom, racing in through the open door to join the other two-Rose and Nick.

Furious that his younger siblings were breaking the rule, Dash zoomed in through the open door himself, yelling angrily upon seeing his Dad sit up tiredly and his Mom curl into herself and turn to her other side.

"Dad, don't let 'em get away with this!" he cried out, jumping up and down. "I tried to stop 'em, but Flash here wouldn't listen!"

"Stop blamin' me!" Flash hollered, "and you can't point fingers, either. Momma says that iz not nice."

"It's not nice to wake us up either," Amy muttered as she too sat up, leaning her head against her husband's shoulder. "Just because we didn't give you three multiple warnings on not waking us up, it doesn't mean you can go around and expect to not get in trouble." Dash pumped a triumphant fist in the air at her lecture, giggling manically. Oh boy, they were going to get in such big trouble—

"And Dash, next time let us deal with it," their mother continued. "We were already up by the time Nick and Rose came in, because you and Flash kept hollering at each other."

"I couldn't let him get away with it…" Dash whined. It seemed he was always getting into trouble more than the others. Even Flash got away with more, and he could run around the house just as fast as he could.

"Well, anyway…" It was their father who spoke at last, breaking the awkward silence. "I suppose since we're up now, we might as well go open presents…can't we, Amy?"

"Why do I even bother?" she muttered, more to herself than anyone, and she laughed pitifully, yawning as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Alright. Alright we can open them now, as long as the girls are up and Samantha will wake up easily."

"Taken care of," Kyler's voice came from the door, and the family turned to see Kyler and Violet, Kyler holding the sleepy baby in her arms, smiling lightly. "C'mon, let's go! I can't wait any longer!" Kyler finished, giggling softly, and before anyone could stop her she ran off towards the living room, bouncing Samantha awake by her movement. The rest of the kids, just as excited, followed eagerly behind, their mother shuffling after them tiredly. But Dash stayed behind, waiting for his father, who was usually the fast and impatient one of the family to start heading out of the room himself. As the two headed out, Dash felt a hand ruffle through his spines, and he glanced up, blinking as his father messed with his quills.

"Ya tried," Sonic said, grinning and chuckling. "Thanks, sport."

The boy blinked in surprise, then smiled back weakly.

'You're not mad?"

"Not really. I'm actually glad we had an excuse to get up. I was already wide awake myself."

"So…we can wake you up at 5:30 every year now?"

"Nope," Sonic answered swiftly, smirking at his son's bemused frown. "Don't worry, sport, the others will get the lecture they need. Ya did pretty good." They reached the living room then, and Dash grinned upon seeing all the dazzling gifts underneath the Christmas tree, wrapped in pretty bows and multiple wrapping papers. And before Sonic could possibly stop him, the boy lunged for them, anxiously searching for his gifts, and Sonic grinned, now even more wide awake, the rule regarding wake-up call being 6:30 now long forgotten.


	31. The Alarm Clock

List: Darkspine Sonic759, Satora-wolf, Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23, Soul Pieces, and Sonic5521! Thanks guys!

Ooh, quick update. I know, it's very amazing, and I still don't know how I did it (probably helps that it's a short one). Anywho, to understand this chapter, you might wanna go back to drabble 27, because this chapter takes place a few days afterwards, and also because the alarm clock mentioned in this drabble is identical to the one Sonic received in drabble 27. Confused? Well then, just read on, fellow Sonic lovers. Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter thirty-one

Alarm Clock

When Amy had given him an alarm clock full of water for Christmas, the blue hedgehog had been taken aback, but not angry, for he really didn't think that he or Amy would break it, sending water all over the bed. He'd just thought Amy was teasing him about breaking the clock, for they both knew _she_ had broken it. But if she wanted to pretend Sonic had been the killer, well, then it made complete since to Sonic that she'd buy an alarm clock filled with water.

Since he wasn't worried about the alarm clock breaking anytime soon, Sonic didn't protest when Amy set it up a few days after Christmas just before bed, setting the alarm for 6:45 the next morning, for she and Sonic had to wake up earlier than usual to say goodbye to Amy's parents and sister before they'd head home.

"Now, be careful not to break it," Amy had teased that night as she'd climbed into bed, giggling softly. Sonic rolled his eyes.

"I'll be sure to," he teased back, before placing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes, preparing for the Sandman's visit.

"If you break it, you waste fifteen dollars you know," Amy continued, seeming not at all tired, and Sonic rolled his eyes again.

Soon, sleep had overtaken both of them, and when 6:45 came the next morning, neither had been prepared for the alarm as it rang loudly in their ears, causing instant headaches to both hedgehogs. Simultaneously, they both reached for the alarm clock, missed, and aimed again. This time, the two hit it together, and the alarm instantly stopped blaring in their ears. Amy sighed contently afterwards, snuggling deeper in the covers, whereas Sonic put a hand over his eyes, not quite used to the little light shining through their window blinds. However, he was the first to speak.

"Suppose we should get up." A murmur from Amy, and Sonic removed the hand from his eyes, blinking a few times before getting used to the light. There wasn't a lot of sun shine this early in the morning in the winter season, but it was enough for the blue hedgehog when he'd gone to sleep with absolutely no light whatsoever. Yawning, he stretched and sat up, and he turned to Amy and shook her gently, not wanting to anger her this early in the morning.

"Five more minutes?" she grumbled sleepily, pulling more of the blanket over herself, and Sonic smiled wearily at the lump in the bed before pushing back the blankets. Amy gasped as the cold air hit her body, and she curled into herself, muttering angrily as she tried reaching for the blankets Sonic had pulled away.

"C'mon Ames, we can't miss seeing your parents off," Sonic reminded her. Again he yawned, and he sent his legs off the corner of the bed, standing. Without him tugging the blankets out of Amy's reach, she managed to pull them over herself again, and Sonic decided to let her be for a few minutes while he turned up the heat in the house. It was awfully cold, he realized, his bare toes already freezing as he walked to the thermostat across the cold room.

Just as he reached it, the sound of the blaring alarm clock reached his ears, and he winced, not only because it was so annoyingly loud but because Amy was growling in exasperation, and before Sonic could stop her, her hand smacked the clock with such force that it shattered, sending water flying onto the nightstand table and the bed. At first, the two could only blink in surprise, staring at the clock-that is, the broken remainings of the clock in wonder, as water dripped down the side of the table and bed. And then Sonic, forcing himself to not sound teasing for fear of her wrath, said,

"Well. I suppose that's _proof_ you're not a morning person."


	32. The Longest Picture

List: Darkspine Sonic759, Satora-wolf, Sonic5521, Soul Pieces, SonicWareInc., and Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23!

Thanks for the reviews guys! Anywho, this drabble was inspired by the fairly new movie, "_Ramona and Beezus_", which I sadly don't own. In the movie, and I'm assuming books, Ramona and her father do the exact same thing I have Samantha and Sonic do together. Those who've seen the movie probably already know what the chapter will be about from the chapter's name, haha. Anyway, enjoy, and onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter thirty-two

The Longest Picture

For usually being a cheerful and carefree child, Samantha was completely going against her nature just by frowning. But of course, if she found reason to not smile, it was a good reason. After all, she was known for her smiles and the joy she found in life.

Sighing sadly, the child glared down at herself. She was currently wearing her pajama top full of kittens, and sweats that were too big for her, both in width and length. Hand-me-downs usually didn't bother her, for they usually kept her warm on the cold nights, being too big and bulky on her frail form. But at the moment, they only made her angrier, for they were a constant reminder of the predicament she was in, being at home and what not. The blanket wrapped tightly about her had the exact same effect.

To the left of the couch she was currently sitting on was an end table, full of photos of the family and an empty plastic container, known as 'the throw-up pan' in the Hedgehog family. It had already been washed by her father once today, the toilet being ten seconds too far away for her in her sickly state. And she even _wanted_ to be in school today. It was art day, for crying out loud!

She groaned then, burying her head into the soft pillow her father had provided before leaving her alone to go make a warm drink for her in the kitchen. It was odd for her Dad to be caring for her when she was sick. In fact, even at the tender age of eight Samantha knew her Dad wasn't too comfortable with being 'the nurse' for the day. Amy, her mother, was usually the miraculous healer in the family, her affectionate hugs, tender smiles and warm herbal tea with a spoonful of honey doing wonders. But of course, her Dad had no choice but to care for her; it was his day off, and her mother had needed to go shopping for groceries. Samantha felt bad for her Dad, in that his day off was officially ruined from the stank of vomit and groans that came all from her. If only Kyler hadn't brought home the stomach flu from school, maybe none of this would be happening to her or her father.

But no. She hated blaming others for mistakes they couldn't have helped anyway. It was one of the things about her that showed how innocent and gracious she really was.

"Hey, kiddo…" It was her Dad's soothing voice; she knew this without lifting her head or opening her eyes, and she groaned again. The urge to vomit was beginning to overpower her again, and she made sure her mouth was clamped shut even as her father set down a cup of steaming hot tea on the end table. He gazed at her worriedly, hating the feeling of being powerless, and so he reached out to her and began rubbing her back gently, hoping to bring her some comfort in the small gesture. He decided not to ask her if she was feeling any better, for he could tell she wasn't.

It wasn't like he had anything better to do, he told himself. He would've sat around the house and run aimlessly through the fields if Samantha hadn't gotten sick thirty minutes ago and called home. Of course he'd been reluctant to actually take her home, and it wasn't all because he was being selfish. He too knew today had been art day at school, and Samantha had always enjoyed the finger painting to the point that she'd come home skipping and singing cheerfully, much to her older sister Kyler's annoyance. But he'd given in when the nurse told him she had a fever marking 102 degrees and that she had thrown-up in the middle of class. He couldn't let her go back to class after _that_ humiliating experience, so he'd come running and was at her school before the nurse had managed to hang up.

"C'mon, ya need to push fluids, hon," he encouraged softly while he continued rubbing and patting her back. She shook her head, still refusing to open her mouth for fear of what might come out of it. Sighing, Sonic situated himself on the floor by the couch, preparing himself for a long stay. If he had to stay here and pester her to drink something for an hour, he would, if it'd help like Amy said it would. "Want me to read you something?" he asked, moving towards another tactic. If he could only rouse her into the state of full awareness, maybe she'd at least take a sip of tea.

She had to answer with words this time, so she swallowed cautiously before opening her mouth enough to mutter, "I wanna color."

"I know, honey," Sonic replied gently, still patting her back lovingly. He knew she hadn't wanted to leave school today even after he'd come to pick her up. In fact, she'd hardly uttered a word to him on the way home, angered with the day's outcome. "But I can't take ya back to school now. Besides, we can have fun here at home."

"How?" she murmured, obviously not believing him, which was rare for her. She usually trusted her father with everything, and just the fact that she was questioning him forced Sonic to question himself. But he shook off the rather unusual feeling, smirking at her lightly.

"What would ya think about drawing the longest picture in the world?" he asked, grinning, and the child blinked in surprise. Well, that was an unexpected proposal.

"Seriously?" she asked, a bit weary of the idea, but Sonic could tell she liked it enough, for her dull eyes began to lighten up to their usual state.

"You betcha!" he replied, showing her a thumbs up. "Think ya can stay here at home for a minute while I go buy a huge roll of paper?"

By now the girl was starting to get excited over the idea, and she nodded vigorously.

"Great!" Sonic quipped, standing up. "Oh, and one more detail." He smiled slyly. "If we're gonna do this, I want you to have drunk at least half of that tea by the time I get back. Ya got it?"

"Yep!" she answered enthusiastically, and she forced herself to sit up and gingerly pick up the mug of tea on the table, drinking it slowly.

"Thata girl!" He showed her another thumbs up, and she let out her first smile since coming home. "Be back in a flash!" he added, and then he bolted out the door, locking it behind him.

* * *

He arrived back home two minutes later to see Samantha up and gathering art supplies from her room, setting the crayons, colored pencils, paints, and markers down on the floor. Glancing towards the couch, Sonic noticed an abandoned blanket and an empty cup of tea, and he grinned. That was one way on convincing her to drink fluids, he figured.

"I'm back!" he called to her merrily. Under his arm was a rather large roll of fresh white paper, and Samantha gasped at the size of it as he set it down. It was practically as tall as Sonic himself, white as snow, and the child giggled.

"Unroll it, unroll it!" she cried out, jumping up and down, until she remembered that she was sick, and she began coughing violently.

"Try not to get too excited," Sonic advised, frowning slightly as she continued coughing. "Why don't you go to the other side of the room, an' I'll start unrolling this load."

"Okay, Dad," she replied hoarsely, her coughing fit now over, and she forced herself to walk and not run to the other side of the living room where she'd keep the paper down when it rolled up to her. Gently, Sonic set the roll of paper on its side, and he began to unroll it, loving the sound of Samantha's gasp of awe in replacement to her cough.

"It's sooo long!" she cried, giggling once again, but this time she was sure to not start jumping up and down. Instead, she grabbed the closest marker next to her and began drawing without another thought. Sonic laughed as he put four small rocks on the corners of the paper to keep it down, and then, after making another cup of tea for the child, he picked up his own marker and began to draw on the twenty-foot long paper.

For three hours they continued drawing, laughing at Sonic's poor drawing skills and the wavy whiskers on Samantha's kitten. During the time, Samantha completely forgot the stomach flu, her baggy hand-me-downs, and the embarrassment over having thrown-up in the first place. The only thing on her mind was coloring and keeping her father happy by sipping from her mug of tea with honey from time to time.

And then finally, the masterpiece was done, and the two stood back to admire their creation, Sonic's arm around her shoulders.

"Looks like we did it, hon," he murmured, scanning Samantha's drawings of cats, dogs, flowers, and little houses. He merely chuckled upon seeing his own poor art, consisting mostly of trees and hills and flowers, for that's what he often saw during his runs. A few random cat paw prints had also found their way into the picture, for the cat Kitty had decided to investigate the paint for himself half-way through the drawing marathon. Sonic had had to get up and wash the cat's paws off for fear of getting paint on the carpet. It was hard enough keeping Samantha from wiping her hands off on the carpet after smearing them in paint as it was.

"There's our family," Samantha suddenly pointed out, and Sonic tuned back into the real world as he followed her finger. Grinning, his eyes met Samantha's drawing of the whole family: He and Amy, Kyler, Violet, Dash, the triplets, Samantha, and even Kitty. They were all linked together by their hands, except Kitty of course, who sat patiently under Kyler's feet, for once looking mildly amused and not painstakingly bored.

"That's real good, Sam," Sonic complimented, ruffling her spines.

"Thanks," she replied cheerfully. "An' guess what else, Dad. I feel a whole lot better!"

"Tea did ya good, huh?" Sonic quipped, although he had a feeling the tea hadn't been the main cure. The picture, the joy, and the time he'd given just for her- that probably did most of it. A wave of love rushed through him as he realized that his day had been made ten times better by drawing a picture with his daughter, rather than running through the same ol' hills he ran through every day anyway.


	33. The Shopping Spree Fiasco Part One

List: Sonic5521, XoxoSonamy4440oxoX, Satora-wolf, IHeartSonAmy, Darkspine Sonic759, GalexiatheChao, and C1of7!

.Alive.

Well, hardly. I got writer's block still with all of my other stories, but that's normal, I suppose. And sure, this one took a while to write, but I think it's worth the wait…hehe. Anyway, thank you all for your patience and support with this story. Loved your reviews, like always! They always cheer me up. Onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter thirty-three

The Shopping Spree Fiasco- Part One

"Count to ten," she whispered to herself softly. "Count to ten and everything will be better…"

"Mom!" Dash yelled.

"One…"

"Ow, stop pushin'!" Rose cried angrily at Flash.

"Two…"

"Mom, can we buy this?"

"Three…"

"MOM!"

"Will you guys stop yelling?" She snapped, eyes on fire, nostrils flaring as she turned to the main culprits, Dash and Flash. "I know you don't want to be here, but neither do I. Just deal with it, _please_."

"She made it to three this time," Violet whispered to Kyler who stood beside her, staring blankly at the millions of times of cereal before her.

"I know," Kyler replied back, holding back a smirk. "Must be a record."

"But Mom, how can we deal with it?" Dash drawled, eyes lowered in impatience. "We've been here forever! I need to run!"

"'eah, me too!" Flash agreed, always the copycat of his older brother.

"Oh, I'm sure," Amy answered, rolling her eyes. Typical, she figured, that they had to get Sonic's genes and not her own. "Don't make me get out the restrainer."

"No!" the boys cried simultaneously, their hands waving in the air. "We'll be good, honest!"

"Then stop yelling," Amy ordered, as she turned back to the shopping cart and began to push her way towards the bakery. "It's giving me a headache. And Dash, what did I say about holding your brother's hand?" Sighing, Dash reached for Flash's hand again. He hated being responsible for the boy who couldn't be his own person, who always had to follow him around, but Amy had said he'd be helping if he did so. And, fortunately for Amy, Dash hadn't grown out of wanting to help his parents.

But of course, she realized as Nick helped her push the cart into the shelf, there was always the one helper who became bothersome. A dozen boxes of cereal were suddenly on the floor, no thanks to Nick and gravity, and Amy groaned as she reached down to pick them up. Nick, sensing he had done something wrong, helped her pick them up, whereas Kyler mentally added the incident to her checklist of, "Things That Can Go Wrong While Shopping" list in her head.

"Nick, I know you're just trying to help," Amy started wearily, "but when you push the shopping cart with me it only makes things harder, and that's why we ran into the shelf."

"Swo''y, Mama," Nick said, eyes filled with sorrow as he looked down at his shoes.

"That's alright, hon," Amy replied, resting a hand on his shoulder for a minute to reassure him. She turned to Flash then who was starting to head down the aisle, away from the group. "Dash…"

"What?" he asked, as he turned to her, looking impatient, but upon seeing her unfaltering gaze he merely rolled his eyes before rushing after his little brother and yanking Flash's hand back into his. The little boy pouted, his lower lip gutted out angrily. "Little trouble-maker got away 'gin," Dash responded, chuckling nervously under his mother's stern and steady gaze. "No biggie…"

"Keep him by your side," she lectured- for the fifth time that day, according to Kyler's count. "I have enough trouble keeping you in my sights."

"Actually, Mom, he hasn't run away yet today," Kyler informed her mother, and Violet giggled beside her sister as their mother turned to the oldest of the kids.

"And you, young lady," Amy began, addressing Kyler, "quit being a smart-aleck." Kyler huffed, frowning, but she kept herself quiet as they finally began moving again, Nick grasping her hand obediently as Rose held Violet's, whereas Flash continued trying to pull himself free from his older brother's clutches.

"Now let's see…" Amy said to herself, looking down at her shopping list. "We still need milk, eggs, chili, hot dogs…" She stopped in front of the canned chili, glancing at all the different options and looking for Sonic's favorite brand.

Sonic…Oh, man, she was _furious_ with him. Or, rather, he was furious with her. Either way, she was only buying chili and hot dogs because she knew that if she made his favorite food tonight he might forgive her.

Their argument the night before had been rather pointless anyway- both knew that. But for some reason the two had avoided each other all day, like a cat avoids a dog, every now and then catching the other's confused eyes on them before they'd both glare at one another and pretend to loath each other. Kyler happened to think it quite funny, for she knew what their argument had been about, and had promptly notified Violet about it herself. Although only a year younger, Violet didn't think it was all that funny; she was too young to understand arguments and their power- or, lack thereof, in this case. Kyler had tried telling Violet that the fight wasn't going to keep their Mom and Dad from each other for very long.

"Dad sleeping on the couch is an exception," she'd tried to explain, "not the rule. Just watch- they'll be back to embarrassing us and especially Dash by the end of the day." But no amount of comforting words had changed Violet's mind, and so Kyler had given up in a matter of minutes. Just as she had turned away, however, Amy had come upon the girls, telling them to get ready to go shopping with their siblings for a little while, because they needed to get some groceries and their Dad had decided to go on a run without informing her. And so, the six kids, the oldest being seven years and the youngest being two years, had been dragged by an irritated mother to the local grocery store.

"Isn't this the right kind?" Violet asked her mother, and she picked up her father's favorite kind of chili. Amy nodded, smiling at the child for a second before taking the can from her hand and tossing it into the cart, grabbing four more off the shelf so that they'd be stocked up for a little bit. She was just about to continue on with shopping, when she chanced a glance behind her, hoping to see all six kids.

But she only saw four.

She didn't know which emotion came upon her first: anger or alarm. But it really didn't matter, for both emotions led to the same thing, and that was a hysterical mother.

"Do any of you know where your brothers went?" she frantically asked the other children, who were just starting to notice their siblings' absence themselves.

"I didn't see 'em leave," Kyler answered truthfully, and beside her Violet shook her head forlornly as their mother sighed, putting a hand on her forehead. She had already felt a bit fatigue beforehand, but now her back seemed to be hurting more than usual, and her feet felt so swollen that she really didn't want to go search for the two troublemakers Sonic had _had_ to influence by his genes. Oh, she'd get him for that someday.

But right now, she could only think about getting the boys, and so she roughly turned the cart 180 degrees, assuming the boys had not sneaked off ahead of her but behind, and with a wave of her hand she had the other four children following behind her. At least they were obedient, she figured.

She knew by experience that when the boys escaped they never went far. If Dash had his way however, he would, but with the responsibility of caring for Flash in his shoes, he could never roam the store too far away from their mother. Flash was only a toddler, and although he loved the freedom Dash granted him on almost every shopping spree (for he could never get away from the family on his own accord, that was for sure), his need for his mother was still too strong, and he wouldn't take more than 100 steps from her without at least knowing she'd come back to get him- or find him, in this case. And with Dash's little hand controlling their moves, the boy really didn't _know_ if Amy would be able to find them if they wandered too far.

A few minutes of panicked searching followed, before finally, Rose called to her mother saying that she had found the boys, hiding in the boy's clothes department, of all places. Even though she'd lost sight of the boys thousands of times before, thanks to their speed, Amy had never really gotten used to the feeling of loosing them, and so she could only pull them into a warm hug at first before she got to the lecture.

"You guys really need to stop doing that," she said to begin with, her anxiety quickly being replaced by anger. "I've told you a thousand times before: S_tay by me and the others._" The boys merely looked down at their shoes, shifting from side to side every now and then restlessly. They weren't really sorry, but they were sorry for themselves, for they knew what was coming, so they played the role of innocence easily enough. "Now then." Standing up, Amy looked down at the two of them sternly, before reaching into her purse and producing two child harnesses, one leash representing a lion and the other a puppy. "I really wish I didn't have to use these every time, guys," she explained as she shrugged on their child harnesses, and she told herself to ignore their glares as they tried pulling the thing off of themselves. "But you know as well as I do that I can't always hold both of your hands."

"Then don't," Dash whined, huffing angrily. "Let us roam freely."

"You know I can't do that," she replied as she stood up, holding on to the end of their harnesses. She sighed, running a hand through her spines in exasperation. She was glad there were only a few more things on the list. With an aching back, swollen ankles, and irked children, she didn't know how much more she could take. If only Sonic had taken the boys on his run. But no…

Reaching for the cart, a stab a pain forced her to wince, and she clutched her large belly, recognizing the pain almost immediately. Over the last week or so, the signs of false labor had driven her up the wall. If only the baby would just be born already; then she'd be thin and slender again, then she'd be able to bend down and comfort Nick when he injured himself, then she'd be able to fall asleep on her stomach, then her ankles wouldn't force her to frequently take breaks while walking, then Sonic could hug her properly…

Another pierce attacked her, and she blinked hard, forcing herself to stay strong in front of the children. It was absolutely nothing to worry about, she told herself. It was just false labor. She had already gone to the doctor once during this pregnancy, claiming to be going through labor, and she'd been extremely embarrassed when they'd discovered it to be what it was. She would have thought that on her fifth pregnancy she would've known the difference between false labor and real labor, but apparently she'd been too anxious to get the baby out into the world to go through the checklist of signs, and she'd managed to scare the heck out of Sonic, her mother, and Tails the babysitter in the process. No reason to panic them all again.

"Come along, everyone," she ordered then, wanting to get home as soon as possible, and she began pushing the cart towards the milk and egg area. "Let's finish this up."

"Yeah!" Rose agreed eagerly, letting go of Violet's hand and instead grabbing hold of her mother's pant leg, and Amy smiled down at the child despite her tiredness that she was only just starting to notice.

Reaching for the milk, she took two gallons, knowing they'd be gone within a few days anyway. Meanwhile Kyler with Nick trailing behind her looked through the eggs, determining which carton would be the best. Finding one, Kyler grabbed it and gently set it down in the nearby cart, avoiding her other two brother's angered glares.

"Why do they getta roam around?" Dash demanded at his mother, pointing at the culprits.

"Because they're helping me and not running away," Amy replied nonchalantly, tightening her grip on their harnesses as she began searching for the hotdogs. Another swift stab in her lower back, and she winced. False contractions usually didn't bother her like this, one after the other. She really needed to get home soon.

"Mama?" Rose was pulling at her pant leg, holding something in her hand. She held it up to her mother, wanting to buy it no doubt. It was a Barbie toy that had somehow found its way into the cheese section they had just passed, and Amy rolled her eyes. If people would only put these toys back, then her kids wouldn't run into half the toys they wanted. Hypocritically, she took the toy and set it back in the cheese section, feeling too lazy to go find where the doll had been and put it back, especially when she was towing around six children who loved toys a bit too much and couldn't be trusted in the kid aisles.

"No, honey," she answered, taking her daughter's hand in her own, leading her away from the toy she could've sworn already sat at home covered in dust. "C'mon, we need to find the hotdogs." Turning back to the cart, she was surprised when she heard a familiar sonic boom, and looking down at her hands, she realized that Dash had managed to fiddle his way out of his harness, allowing it to fall to the ground in a heap in his hast. She closed her eyes, willing herself to stay calm and to not start screaming her son's name at the top of her lungs and attract attention to herself. Kyler and Violet exchanged glances, and Flash huffed, angry that his brother had deserted him so unfairly.

"Sometimes I think he annoys me on purpose," Amy mused, telling herself to get the hotdogs and then go look for her disobedient son, and she began pushing forward again, her grip on Flash's harness tightening just in case he got any ideas. His fingers were still too weak to be able to unbuckle himself, so her only concern was whether he would use his speed to pull away from her grip or not. Rose, still wanting the toy doll, pulled anxiously at her mother's pants, but when she didn't turn back Rose grabbed the doll herself and threw it into the shopping cart, before getting into step with the rest of the family again. Kyler raised an eyebrow at her sister, knowing full well that their mother was already going through enough stress thanks to Dash, and before her mother even noticed the doll Kyler reached for it, and gently placed it in what was now the meat section. Luckily, Rose was too busy skipping happily over her success to notice.

"Here they are…" Amy murmured to herself, and she bent down for two packets of hotdogs, her back screaming in pain. Throwing the packages in the cart, she placed a hand on her lower back, trying to pop it back into shape, but it stubbornly stayed put. Sighing, she began to move again, hoping to find Dash quickly and easily within the next five minutes. She had known before she had left to go shopping today that she shouldn't go too far away from home in her condition, but she had needed the chili and hotdogs, so she had made the choice to go anyway, hoping she'd be able to survive through her weakened form. Apparently, she had been wrong.

Without Flash to worry about, Dash suddenly had the whole store at his mercy, and Amy was fully aware of this. If Sonic had been there, she would've sent him out to find the troublemaker and bring him screaming and kicking back, but, of course, just when she needed him most, he wasn't there. She considered calling him up on his cell phone, which he had slowly learned over the years to always leave on and keep with him, no matter what. But it was only for emergencies, and even though she didn't think she could take much more, she wasn't crying yet. And she usually was on 'emergencies'.

She reached the front of the store uneventfully, and so was therefore more ticked with Dash. Stopping just before reaching the check-out lanes, she scanned the front with fiery eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of brilliant royal blue zooming past her. But Dash was smarter than that. He'd look both ways to make sure his family wasn't nearby before running out into the public aisles.

"Mama, what if he doesn't come back?" Violet asked. "I mean, in time. I wanna go home. _Now_."

"I do too honey," Amy sighed, scanning the room once more. "We'll find him soon, don't worry."

* * *

Meanwhile, Dash was having the time of his life. It wasn't often that he managed to escape from his mother and that darn harness-something he preferred to call a leash. Walking through the aisles- for once free- never felt so exhilarating, and he made sure to go through the sport section, video game section, and toy section at least twice. It was rare for him to go through any of the three on a given shopping day, for his parents had long figured out the dangers of taking their kids to Child Heaven. Currently, he was on his third run through of the toy department, anxiously looking for something he might've overlooked before. Oh, if only he had cash with him right now, then maybe he could get that cool looking robot…thing. He wasn't too sure what it was, to be honest. But it looked cool, and being cool at four years old was a rare but honorable thing, so he _had_ to have it. Looking at the price tag, the boy managed to find a price of about $35, and even at his tender age his eyes bugged out, and he took a step back. Oh, why did everything cool and modern and fancy have to cost _so_ much money? Even if his parents were there with him, they'd never go for it.

"Too much money for something you'll have broken within a week anyway, sport," his Dad would say, tousling his hair for extra measure, and then they would move on to something cheaper, like a football or something. Sighing, the child glanced around the aisle, looking for something cool yet cheap that he might be able to convince his Mom into buying for him, even though he knew she'd be furious by the time he decided to head back to her. He shivered at the thought, letting his ears fold back for a second in fear, and then he bit his lip. Maybe he should head back now, before her temper got too out of control. After all, with her being pregnant her temper had become a lot worse in the last nine months. But before he could think any further, a familiar voice filtered into his brain.

"Dash Paul Hedgehog, you come over here this second!"

His ears found themselves folded down again, and he sighed. Well, there went his fun. Not even looking up, he shuffled his way towards his mother's voice, and he tensed upon hearing Kyler's snide chuckle not too far away from his mother.

"You is mean," Flash spoke hotly, not meeting his brother's eye, for he had still not forgiven his brother for leaving him with Nick and the girls all alone. For a two year old, there could be nothing worse.

"Ooh, Mama's gon-e get 'a!" Nick cried out, pointing a finger at his older brother and giggling, and Dash glared at the boy as he stopped in front of his mother, who stood before him tapping her foot impatiently, just the way his Dad often would.

"You know the drill," Amy began, and she bent down to put the harness back on the boy, her fingers stumbling in her anger and haste. "No long runs with Dad for a week." With the harness safely double-knotted, Amy rose back to her feet, slapping Dash's hand a few times so he'd get the message. The boy shook his stinging hand angrily, fuming inside, but he followed behind everyone else as they turned to go. He knew Flash's eyes were on him, glaring at him, although secretly wanting a story about his ten minute freedom, but Dash made sure not to make eye contact with anyone. He just wanted to get home and pout, maybe win his Dad's affection in the matter.

Suddenly, Amy yelped, and Dash, forgetting his anger looked up at his mother with alarm, who was clutching her swollen belly in pain.

"You okay, Mom?" Violet asked worriedly, and Amy nodded, painfully, but she did nod, and she turned to send a wavered smile at her daughter.

"I'm alright," she answered, and she took a few deep breaths. "I need to sit down for a while though. I really don't think I should push myself too much more." Kyler nodded, understanding, and she started walking towards a nearby bench, plopping herself and Nick down on it while they waited for their slow mother to join them. Dash growled in agitation, and Flash copied, going a step further by crossing his arms as his mother led them slowly and awkwardly towards the bench.

"But I'z wanna go home," Rose whined, but Violet promptly shushed her, also understanding that something was wrong.

"You could try countin' to ten," Kyler joked, hoping to lighten the mood, and Amy chuckled slightly.  
"You know as well as I do that it won't help," she teased back. Pain shot through her once more, and she cringed, shutting her eyes, hoping to rid the pain that way.

"Is i' time?" Nick asked, his eyes wide as he stared at his mother.

Amy considered the boy's question as steadily as she could, while under such stress. The pain was in her lower back, she realized, not in the front of herself, and the contractions seemed to be steadying. Maybe they had been arriving every five minutes or so. And even though she was sitting down, the pain was still there, if not worse, and she forced herself to breathe in, breathe out, steadily- she must keep herself steady.

By the time she made her decision, she had practically forgotten that the other kids were there, crowded around the small bench in wonder and alarm. All she could make sense of was the steady beat she knew as labor, and the phone number she dialed in her cell phone as quickly as her fumbling fingers would allow.

"Be in cell phone range, _please_," she mumbled to herself, putting the phone up to her ear. The seconds went by, with nothing from the cell phone. And then, softly, the sound of ringing.

_To Be Continued…_


	34. The Birthing Part Two

List: EchidnaPower, SilverDawn2010, Satora-wolf, Sonic Speed Blue Blur 23, ZehHyperactiveAuthor , Xoxomtmodnarxoxo, SonAmyFreak, Dreamgrl95, GodsSonicGirl, GalexiatheChao, DanceDream, and WeRWhoWeR!

.Gosh. You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for your support on this drabble series (and no, it's not ending yet, so you can breathe a sigh of relief)! Your reviews all made my day today when I finished this chapter. Sorry it took a while- but you know schedules. Anyway, onwards, march!

* * *

Chapter thirty-four

The Birthing Part Two

The hills were silent. The only remote sound came from shifting grass that waved around gently from the slight breeze coming from the south. Up in the sky, the sun shone down on the green hills, and the few clouds did not block the view of its rays as they struck the earth in 80 degree heat. An eagle soared in the sky, screeching its warning against any other eagle that dared enter his territory.

A blink later, and suddenly the calmness was interrupted by a blue streak racing through the hills, slower then normal, and this time the eagle screeched a welcome as it flew in synch with his constant companion. But, like usual, the streak suddenly increased its speed, and the eagle was left behind in its dust.

Another second passed, and the splash of cobalt with its wind suddenly halted on the top of one of the taller hills, gazing down at the hills below, allowing the wind to blow through his long quills. Amy had advised he trim them soon, but he wasn't in the mood, especially today.

He had needed to get away from the house today, even if that meant not telling anyway else first. He knew Amy would kill him for that later, but he had his cell phone on, and he made sure to be nearby enough so that the cell phone had a chance of being in range. He was hoping she wouldn't call though; right now, he needed alone time.

Sitting down on the hill for a quick break, he pulled up his legs, wrapping his arms around them and putting his head down on his knees, and he sighed. He hated these kind of days. When he and Amy didn't get along, it tore at him, and if he wasn't able to take a run to at least cool down, all heck would break loose. Of course, their fight had been yesterday night-resulting with him sleeping on the old lumpy couch- and it had been absolutely pointless anyway. But it was as if they were playing some kind of hatred game with each other, and they had hardly talked to each other all day. By eleven that morning, he hadn't been able to take it anymore. His feet were beckoning him; it was a nice day, and Amy would be able to handle the kids for an hour or so by herself…

He sighed again, shaking his head. Runs never seemed to help him anymore- not since he and Amy had hooked up more than ten years ago. All they did was make him think, and thinking wasn't his style. Sometimes the runs would help him realize that he'd been wrong in an argument, but this time, he wasn't willing to back down. He was right and she was wrong. It was as simple as that.

He got up then, his break over, knowing what he had to do. After every fight with Amy, he either ran back with some elaborate apology or with some simple flowers he'd come across during his run. Since he happened to be surrounded by flowers at the time, and since he wasn't sorry for what he'd said, the flowers seemed to be the safe way to go. Reaching out in front of him, he plucked free a few small bluebells, shifting them into his left hand as he picked some small white daises that dotted practically every inch of the hills. Next he grabbed a few red flowers, some of which looked pink or orange as well. A dozen lilacs blew in the wind nearby, and he took only two of them before reaching for one plain pink flower also in the bunch. Looking down at his handful, he smiled proudly at the bouquet, a twinkle in his eye. This would make Amy happy, he figured, and he turned to leave and head home.

Just as he was about to go, however, his cell phone rang, and he blinked in surprise before letting his eyes go wide. The cell phone ringing equaled an emergency. Or, maybe in this case, it meant a very upset Amy trying to get him home. Either way, he reached for the phone and snapped it open impatiently.

"What's up?" he asked, aiming for composure, and he willed himself to not panic. It probably was just Amy calling to give him a piece of her mind for not telling her that he'd left.

"Sonic…" Her voice was soft and weak, and Sonic's confidence peaked. Maybe she wasn't going to yell at him. But then, the way she'd said his name…as if she could hardly even force it out of her mouth…He bit his lip, confidence faltering again just as quickly as it had risen up.

"Everything okay, Ames?" he asked, shifting his feet back and forth nervously. He looked up into the sky, calculating the time from the sun's angle, and he mentally slapped himself. He had been running around for _four_ _hours_. Why wasn't Amy lecturing?

"Sonic, I think it's time." Her words came out in a rush, but it sounded pained, and it took Sonic a few seconds to register what she was saying, and he blinked, taking a step back. Gosh, today was suddenly turning interesting.

"Like, time for me to come home or…?" he questioned, playing dumb, hoping that it really wasn't _time_. He wasn't ready, not now, not when he was hours away from her and the kids…And mentally not being ready didn't help either. Six kids was already a handful, even for him, and so when Amy had told him nine months earlier to start buying more crackers, he'd been excited, but…not. Sure, he'd gone along with the motions; he'd bought the crackers, comforted her in her morning sickness, and brightened her day from bouquets of wildflowers at least once a week. He'd made sure to look happy and excited, and at the same time he was, but then he didn't think that any of this was really happening. Amy and him, having _another_ kid? Hadn't the triplets just graduated from diapers?

"That too," Amy answered, bringing Sonic back to the conversation at hand. "I'm at the grocery store with the kids…we were shopping, and the contractions began, and-"

"You were shopping?" Sonic asked incredulously. "Ames, we've discussed this. I don't want you shopping when you're so close to the end of the term-"

"I know," Amy replied back impatiently, still sounding pained. "My bad. But if you don't get here soon…"

"I'll be there A.S.A.P.," Sonic said, and before she could say anymore he hung up and raced off, not realizing that in his haste he had forgotten the wildflowers by his feet.

As he ran as fast as his speed would allow, he continually glanced up at the sky. He knew that it had taken him four hours to get here, but then he'd had a few breaks and he hadn't run as fast as he could…but even then, he fretted about not being there on time. Just being an hour away from Amy at this moment would've scared him, and he knew he was further away then that. Pushing himself to the limit, he ran, hardly feeling the usual rhythm of his feet hitting the ground, hardly being able to see anything in front of him at his speed. He knew that once he hit the forest he'd have to slow down; otherwise he wouldn't be able to dodge the trees in enough time to not crash into them. But he couldn't think about that now. For now, he had to keep running at this speed, or there was no way he'd be able to witness the birth.

Just the mere thought of not being there for Amy made him speed up, his blood pressure sky rocketing as he actually began to pant, out of nerves or tiredness he would never know. He had never regretted taking a run more than now. If he had stayed home, he would've been guaranteed to be able to be there with Amy. Now, Tails might be the only one close enough to help her load the kids in the car, drive her to the hospital, maybe even comfort her in her pain…

Jealously overpowered him then. There was _no way_ that Tails would hold his newborn before him, no matter how much he loved his little brother. Looking through the funnel of wind surrounding him as best as he could, Sonic managed a glimpse of the first forest he'd run into, and he slowed down, just enough to be able to dodge the trees. But the decrease in power made him bite his lip, concern flooding him. Maybe he wouldn't make it…

Meanwhile, Amy had managed to call Tails, and the fox had agreed rather quickly to drive Amy and the kids to the hospital.

"Where's Sonic?" he had asked just before hanging up, and he heard Amy make some sort of disapproving sound of the other line.

"He went running off this afternoon," she'd replied bitterly, and sympathy urged Tails to finish the conversation up.

"I'll be there as fast as I can," Tails had said, and then he had hung up, before reaching for his socks and shoes. He hadn't been planning to leave the house that day; it was a Sunday, after all, and the repair shop was closed on Sundays. But a minute later he was in the car, wishing that the city would allow him to land the X-Tornado in the city, but they had banned him landing anywhere with his plane other than in the country. A stupid rule, Sonic had said, when Tails had told him years ago when the rule had been established, but neither of them had had a good enough reason at the time to argue. Of course now, in the present, when Tails had a reason to land his plane on the hospital's roof, he wasn't allowed to.

Only five minutes later he was at the grocery store entrance, and there stood Amy and the six kids, with no groceries, and Tails would've rolled his eyes if he hadn't been under such stress. What a waste of a trip, to not buy anything. Stopping up front, the kids piled into the back while Amy winced her way into the front seat, not allowing her pain to show for the kids' sake. She turned to Tails then, smiling wearily, and she placed a hand on his shoulder, thanking him wordlessly. Tails nodded at the gesture, before turning back to the wheel as he slammed down the accelerator.

"Hospital, here we come," he murmured, trying to drive efficiently and yet quickly for Amy's sake. He had never had to drive her to the hospital before; that had always been Sonic's job. And as he watched her grip the seat, cringing, pacing herself so that she wouldn't cry out, he had never felt so scared. Amy wasn't even _his_ wife. Tia would be in a few months, but now he had a feeling they'd be waiting a bit for kids, now that he was seeing Amy's pain first hand. He didn't think he could put up with seeing too much more of it.

"Momma gonna b' 'kay?" he heard Rose ask urgently to Kyler, and he allowed himself to glance back at the children in the backseats. They looked just as white and ghostly as he was sure he did, for this was their first time too in heading to the hospital along with their mother. Usually, Tails would come to the house and watch them until the baby was born. He watched Kyler nod her head slowly, meeting her sister's eyes seriously.

"She's fine," Kyler replied gently, and, rather uncharacteristically, she wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. Rose immediately snuggled into her sister's warmth, not noticing her sister turn to the car's window, looking lost and distant as she stared out into the busy streets.

_'You have to be strong,'_ Kyler thought to herself, closing her eyes. _'You're the oldest…you have to be strong.'_ Just as the girl opened her eyes again, blinking back mysterious moisture, Tails turned a corner, and suddenly the hospital was looming over them, and Kyler let out a sigh of relief. Maybe everything would be okay, even though it _was_ a hospital.

"We're here, Amy," Tails said softly as he turned to Amy. He noticed her grip on the seat loosen ever so slightly as she opened her eyes, blinking in the sunlight. She had closed her eyes the moment she'd entered the car, willing herself to keep breathing calmly and sufficiently. So far, it had worked. But she knew the baby was coming all the faster as each second continued to wear on, and she inhaled slowly as she heard Tails open his car door. The kids, confused, also opened their doors and stepped out, waiting impatiently for their mother as she forced herself out of the tiny car. If only Sonic had driven her; then he would've been able to come to her car door, pick her up, and carry her to the entrance. But he'd decided to take a run instead.

From then on, things became mostly a blur for Amy. She wasn't sure why, but she did know that the pain was getting unbearable. This baby wasn't going to wait for _anything_- not even its own father. Voices struggled to register into her brain, and she found it more peaceful to close her eyes and let Tails do all the talking for her. She hated to have to burden Tails with the responsibility, but then, she figured-even in her half-minded state- Tails was set to marry Tia in a few months. He would need to know how to deal with his own wife in labor soon enough. A tugging on her arm forced her to register back into the world, and her gaze met up with Rose's for a split second.

"Baby comin'?" the child asked, her voice sounding so small, and Amy closed her eyes again as gentle hands slowly made her sit down in a wheel chair Tails had managed to receive from the hospital. Amy tried responding to the toddler; she wanted to tell her not to worry. But her mouth seemed to be glued shut, and all she could do was nod her head firmly.

"Don't bother Mom," Amy heard one of the older kid's scold Rose, and then everything fused together again as someone pushed her to the birthing room. Upon reaching the room, a nurse helped her get into the bed, and the voices around her suddenly became unfamiliar as the nurse pushed Tails and the kids out of the room, telling them to wait in the waiting room until the baby arrived. Cries of protest from the younger ones, but Tails managed to calm them down enough to lead them away from Amy, if only for a few minutes.

And then, in the back of her mind, Amy registered the fact that there was a lot less noise around her, and that except for the frantic nurse and doctor-who were busying themselves with giving her an IV and making sure everything was going smoothly- she was _alone_. Sonic was not by her side like he'd always been when one of the children had been born. There was no one to comfort her in her infliction.

She wanted to tell the nurse to call her husband and to find out where he was. But her mouth still seemed broken, except for the fact that she was now screaming in pain, wishing the baby would just come out peacefully and painlessly. The nurse was trying to calm her, Amy knew this herself, but there was no way she could calm down, not in this pain at least; not without Sonic holding her hand. Tears rolled down her cheeks, adding to her misery, and so she tried to steady herself. Slowly, she forced herself to count in her head, similarly to how she had counted in the store when the kids had been driving her insane. But she didn't even make it to three, for suddenly a wave of pain made her howl out in anguish, and the urge to push forced her to try and end the pain.

"Good, keep going," she heard the nurse encourage her calmly, but Amy just shook her head. She couldn't try again. If anything, the pain had increased by trying the first time, and she didn't want it to get worse.

"Where's my husband?" she asked hoarsely, not even realizing she had managed to speak until the words were out of her mouth, but by that point she could care less.

"I'm sure he's on his way," the doctor comforted, not knowing himself. He checked her on her process, and shook his head. "Try again, Miss Amy."

Gulping, Amy tried again, crying out when nothing changed except the amount of pain, and she gripped the edge of the bed, her knuckles going white.

"Sonic!" she cried, the tears becoming overwhelming. "Sonic, hurry up!"

"Now, Miss Amy, we must continue," the nurse said gently, placing a hand on top of Amy's for comfort. "This baby has no intentions on waiting. You must allow it to come. Now, on the count of three…"

Groaning, the pink hedgehog closed her eyes, lips quivering, either out of anger from Sonic's absence or the pain. Which ever one, she didn't know. Maybe it was both.

"One…"

Had it only been this morning, Amy mused, that she and the kids had first gone shopping? Had Dash actually run away? It just didn't seem plausible…

"Two…"

And then, that meant that it had only been last night when she and Sonic had argued. It had been so pointless, that fight, Amy realized. So utterly pointless that neither of them should have gotten so worked up. At first, they'd only been teasing one another. But then the teasing had soon become hurtful, for whatever reason, and Sonic had ended up spending the night on the couch…

"Three. Push!"

She pushed. She pushed as hard as she could, allowing the pain to wash through her like fire on wood, but rather than hearing the joyous sound of the baby's first cries, she only heard her own, and that only made her cry harder. This was useless. The baby would never come, and Sonic wasn't here, and-

Another voice suddenly entered the scene, a familiar voice, but still Amy did not open her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered shamefully, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here…" A hand grabbed hers, and she recognized the soft course hand even while her eyes stayed clamped shut. "I'm here now, Ames." She inhaled, letting relief flood her.

"What took you?" she asked, squeezing Sonic's hand as another contraction hit her.

"Distance," Sonic replied as Amy opened her eyes. He wiped away her tears gently, noting how her eyes shimmered in her pain. "And stupidity," he admitted, chuckling sadly. "I shouldn't have left without tellin' ya."

"I shouldn't have gotten you upset in the first place," Amy sniffled, gazing up into Sonic's creased face. She could tell he was worried, and she smiled sadly, trying to reassure him. "I'm sorry, too."

He kissed her forehead lovingly, letting his cool lips linger for a few seconds before pulling back, smiling at her.

"I still think I'm right," he teased, nuzzling her face. "It's a boy, not a girl." Amy chuckled softly, taking in a sharp breath as the baby continued pressuring her to push.

"We'll see," she replied, and then she focused on the nearby nurse, who smiled at the couple happily.

"Let's get this over with," she said seriously, yet her eyes twinkled. "On the count of three, Miss Amy." The pink hedgehog nodded, her confidence risen by Sonic's mere presence. Yet even so, as the nurse began to count, she looked back up at Sonic, eyes filling with tears again from the throbbing in her belly.

"Don't leave, okay?" she murmured, and Sonic kissed her hand gently, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Never," he replied back, his own eyes looking a bit hazy.

"Three," the nurse finished, and Amy took a deep breath as she pushed, for the fourth time, willing herself to not scream out but to feel Sonic's hand in hers, to know that he was there now and that he _would_ witness the birth of their child- whether it be boy or girl. She pushed again then, realizing that nothing had changed the fourth time, and all the while Sonic's hand lingered with hers, never parting for even a second. And through her pain and grief, she forced herself to cling to the thought of Sonic's love. How many times had he had the chance to run before? And yet, he had never left her, not even when the going had gotten tough with Kyler, or when Flash had decided to join Dash in his defiance. No, Sonic had stayed through it all, and there was no way their small argument would be the end of the world for them.

"Once more, Amy," the doctor urged on. "The baby's head is just coming out. One more good push oughta do it."

"You're doing great, Ames," Sonic comforted, kissing her forehead again. "One more time, 'kay?" Nodding, she took another deep breath.

And she pushed. She pushed so hard that a new wave of tears began, and she screamed in pain as she squeezed Sonic's hand harder than before.

And then, quite suddenly, a new sound filled the small hospital room.

The sound of a baby crying.

"It's a girl!" the doctor cried, picking up the wailing white baby, and the nurse handed him a soft blanket to place the baby in. Amy closed her eyes, sighing, and Sonic glanced anxiously between Amy and the baby, not knowing what to do. He was practically as white as the newborn, so nervous was he, and he blinked in a dazed manner. Everything had happened so fast…only ten minutes ago, he had arrived at the hospital.

"I want to hold my baby," he heard Amy mummer softly, weakly, for she was still panting, and he turned to her, watching as the nurse walked towards the mother, a clean white blanket in her arms. Gently, the nurse set the bundle down in Amy's arms, and slowly, ever so slowly, Amy unwrapped the blanket, gasping.

The baby was completely white, being a newborn, except for her tan arms and stomach, and she waved her fists in the air, not knowing if she preferred the drafty outside world to her mother's secure and warm belly. The child let out a little cry, and Amy cooed softly, nuzzling the baby lovingly.

"Oh, Sonic," she whispered, "she's so beautiful. Look, she's got my nose."

"And my quills," Sonic said, grinning from ear to ear as he stared down at the new child. "Well, actually a mix of ours…" Amy laughed softly then, glancing up at Sonic.

"Guess who won the argument," she sang jokingly, giggling. Sonic frowned for a second, than he too joined in with the laughter.

"Fine, fine, you did," he replied. "It's a girl; you were right."

"I'm always right," Amy answered smugly, all of her prior pain seemingly forgotten. "Oh, Sonic…isn't she adorable?" The blue hedgehog chuckled, leaning down to get a better look at his brand new daughter.

"She is," he agreed, and he turned to Amy then, kissing the tip of her nose lightly. "You did great, Ames. I'm proud of ya." Amy giggled, kissing his own nose, than turning back to the infant, who was beginning to fuss.

"Let's call her Sam," Sonic said suddenly. "Samantha Hedgehog."

"And her middle name can be Audrey," Amy added. "Samantha Audrey Hedgehog. I like it."

"It suits her," Sonic replied, and the two proud parents smiled at the infant as she opened her jade eyes, yawning cutely.

And so began the saga of Samantha Audrey Hedgehog.


End file.
